Two Scots Killed in Spain: Possible End to 25-Year Glasgow Gang War

Herz — World Desk · 1 August 2026 at 05:59 · 30s summary · 3 min read

What We Know

According to an investigation published by The Guardian on August 1, 2026, a masked gunman shot and killed Eddie Lyons Jr, 46, at close range on June 8, 2025, inside Monaghan's bar in Fuengirola, Spain. The attack occurred shortly after the UEFA Nations League final—an official international football competition featuring European national teams, established in 2018—ended its broadcast at the bar that evening.

The gunman then targeted Ross Monaghan, 43, the bar's owner and friend of Eddie Lyons Jr, but the weapon jammed. However, The Guardian describes the event as a 'double murder of two Scots.'

The newspaper suggests that these killings may have ended twenty-five years of criminal warfare between two rival Glasgow factions known as 'the Lyons' and 'the Daniels.'

Background

The Lyons and Daniels are two rival criminal organizations originating from Glasgow, Scotland, with a feud dating back to the early 2000s. The Guardian describes their conflict as one of the longest and deadliest gang wars in contemporary Scottish criminal history.

Costa del Sol, the Mediterranean coastline of Andalusia, has been a favoured destination for exiled British and Scottish criminals since the 1980s-1990s. The large English-speaking expatriate community in Fuengirola and the relative ease of evading British authorities explain why the resolution of this conflict played out in Spain rather than Glasgow.

Timeline

1. Around 2001
   Estimated start of the criminal dispute between the Lyons and Daniels factions in Glasgow. The Guardian (2026) situates the conflict as lasting 'approximately 25 years' before the June 2025 murders.
2. June 8, 2025
   A masked gunman emerges from a vehicle and shoots Eddie Lyons Jr, 46, at close range inside Monaghan's bar in Fuengirola shortly after the UEFA Nations League final concludes. He then targets Ross Monaghan, 43—the exact circumstances surrounding Monaghan remain uncertain.
3. August 1, 2026
   The Guardian publishes a lengthy interactive investigation suggesting that the Fuengirola killings may have ended twenty-five years of warfare between the Lyons and Daniels factions.