A BRITISH family has spoken out after their daughter was arrested with her boyfriend over the shooting of a top Spanish politician.
Sasha Brooks, believed to be in her mid 20s, was arrested with Naraya Gomez last week over the attempted assassination of Alejo Vidal-Quadras.
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Gomez is suspected of converting to Islam this year as cops launch a terrorism probe into the shooting of Vidal-Quadras in broad daylight.
Naraya has been accused of hiring a hitman for the attempted murder of the politician in the wealthy neighbourhood of Salamanca in Madrid.
The former head of Spain‘s People’s Party, 78, was shot in the face by a gunman on a motorbike on November 9 and miraculously survived.
Sasha was arrested in the small town of Lanjaron, Granada, alongside boyfriend Gomez last week.
The young couple were detained at one of two properties they share in Lanjaron.
Sasha appeared in court alongside her boyfriend and a second man, 22, in Madrid on Saturday.
Spanish cops said: “The detainees, two Spanish men and a British woman, are accused of attempted assassination for terrorist purposes.”
Sasha and the 22-year-old were released on bail but Gomez remains in custody.
Before Sasha was charged on Friday, her mum, Angie Brooks, told The Sun there have been “so many lies about my daughter”.
After Sasha’s court appearance, Angie, a financial adviser, said her daughter was “exhausted”.
She added she had been through an “ordeal”, branding the episode “stressful” and “full on”.
While her mum insisted she had not been charged, Sasha had her passport taken off her after being released on bail.
She must appear before the court every 15 days and is banned from leaving Spain as the investigation continues.
“I’ve had to come up to Madrid to help her as much as possible,” said Angie, who runs an anti-fraud advice company, Pension Life, where her daughter and boyfriend Naraya had been working.
“It’s been pretty full on and it’s now up to the judge to decide whether to charge them or not.”
Locals ‘in shock’
Locals in the town of Lanjaron with just 3,000 residents have been left “in shock” after the arrests of the well-known couple.
A neighbour named Maria told The Sun: “It was like something from a movie, police with masks over their faces were here for three days, they took boxes and suitcases out of the house.”
Another said: “Sasha Brooks is really quite popular.
“There’s a lot of rumours going around saying she was desperate for money but that is not true at all.
“She is very vibrant and fashionable – never in a million years would you associate her with this type of thing.”
A third added: “The guy (Gomez) is also really lovely, we’ve known him since he was a baby, he was always really polite and there was nothing to suggest he was capable of something like this, we just don’t get it.”
Sasha’s mother is said to be a pillar of the local expat community.
Pension Life has long helped victims of pension scams and fraud around Europe, particularly British victims in Spain, while also litigating against the criminals.
The family has various properties in Granada and even Madrid.
Lanjaron has since closed ranks, with locals and expats refusing to speak to the media.
One local British expat told The Sun: “Sasha is a popular character and a beautiful woman who you could see hanging out at fashion shows or boutique hotels, not taking part in acts of terror.
“Naraya grew up with his dad in a hippy-style commune after his mum died in childbirth.
“His dad still lives there and teaches yoga and fixes machines to get by. He has little money.”
Police investigation
Various Spanish newspapers reported that both Sasha and Naraya were still being investigated in connection to the attempted murder.
Police sources said he is a Muslim convert who follows a Shiite belief system led by the ayatollahs of Iran.
National Police had launched a terrorism probe after Vidal-Quadras insisted the hit was ordered by the Iranian regime.
It came after Iran declared the 78-year-old politician – a well-known defender of the country’s opponents – a “terrorist” in October last year.
Naraya, 26, is accused of hiring the contract killer, a wanted Frenchman of Tunisian origin, before travelling to a hotel in Madrid with him on the eve of the attack.
According to cops, Naraya followed the Frenchman in his car on the day of the shooting.
The attempted assassin, who is also wanted for a murder in Paris, dumped his motorbike and set it on fire, before allegedly being picked up by Naraya in his car to make the getaway.
It was like something from a movie, police with masks over their faces were here for three days
Local resident
Police have said Naraya’s blue hire car was seen on CCTV in Madrid’s Barrio Salamanca in the weeks leading up to the attack, tracking Vidal-Quadras’s movements.
The same car was found illegally parked in Lanjaron this week, leading to the couple’s arrest.
The theory put forward by police has left expats and locals in Lanjaron in shock.
One local Brit told The Sun: “I know that the summer before last there was a lot of partying.
“Naraya really liked to have a good time, if he was converted and radicalised it must have been extremely fast.
“He always dressed well and was very polite in the street, and had a love for the finer things in life, like travel and high-end cars.”
The couple’s social media accounts show recent trips to London and Ibiza for example. In one snap they are seen laying scantily-clad on a yacht while sipping champagne.
‘Alternative community’
Naraya’s dad, Sirio Gomez, a yoga master who lives in a commune just outside Lanjaron, insisted the charges were completely false.
He told The Sun: “My son is completely innocent, he is not a terrorist.
“He is a good boy, a vegetarian, spiritual and a pacifist.”
He said he last spoke to Naraya a few months ago and he was excited to introduce his girlfriend Sasha to him.
“He was not related to politics, he worked for Sasha’s mother’s business,” Sirio said.
“He never converted to Islam, that is a lie, he is not a Muslim.”
Sirio lives in the so-called community of Benificio, just a 20-minute drive from Lanjaron.
It’s known by locals as an “alternative community” – where people from across Europe come and go.
Madeleine McCann suspect Christian B was reportedly known to have spent considerable time there and bought and sold drugs and other illegal goods in the area.
Police are conducting their investigation into the assassination attempt “in secrecy” – but sources say they have yet to discover the mastermind.
The motorbike used in the attack was traced to a 22-year-old Albanian expat, who was allegedly paid €500 to put the vehicle under his name.
He is not believed to have known what the motorbike would be used for.
Meanwhile the shooter remains at large.
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Ellie Doughty
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