Briton survives being shot five times at point-blank range in bungled Marbella assassination attempt

The expat, in his 30s and thought to be from Liverpool, was blasted in the face, leg, arm, pelvis and genitals as he left a restaurant.

It was the third shooting in the Costa del Sol resort in five weeks, and took place just yards from packed bars and shops.

The victim was rushed to hospital for emergency surgery but amazingly survived.

Blood stains can be seen on the road outside Solly's Diner at the bottom of this frame where the British man was shot five times

He had just left Solly's Diner, a British restaurant in Puerto Banus, and was about to get into his dark blue BMW when he was shot in broad daylight at 7.30pm last night.

The gunman approached him, pulled out a weapon and shot him five times before walking calmly away, witnesses said.

The victim collapsed on the floor in a pool of blood as panic broke out among people drinking or shopping nearby.

Incredibly, he was still conscious and able to mutter a few words when an ambulance arrived 15 minutes later.

One witness told a local newspaper: "We thought they were fireworks until we saw the victim on the ground, with his face destroyed, full of blood.

"It was like a film his body was convulsing, but he managed to utter a few words." 

A police source said it was "a miracle" that he had survived the shooting.

One report said the gunman was also thought to be British.

He walked away "in complete calm" then got into a waiting getaway car, a witness said.

The shooting is being investigated by police from Malaga's Anti-Drug and Organised Crime Unit UDYCO.

Forensic teams spent yesterday evening searching the scene for clues while detectives began studying CCTV footage.

Local reports said the victim had lived in Marbella for several years.

One witness said the victim had sat drinking coffee for several hours on the terrace of Solly's Diner before he was shot.

He said: "He sat on his own with a coffee. He was talking constantly on his mobile. Once in a while he got up, walked up and down the street and then sat down again."

A spokeswoman for the Costa del Sol hospital said: "The man suffered multiple gunshot wounds in his right leg, pelvis, genitals, right arm and right eye.

"He was operated on during Wednesday night and he in now in intensive care in a serious but stable condition."

A spokesman for the National Police in Marbella said: "We are investigating a shooting in Puerto Banus but cannot give out any more information at this stage."

Detectives are investigating possible links to two recent shootings in Marbella.

Three people were injured in a shootout in the Aloha Gardens restaurant on 21 August.

And two more were injured in another shooting at the Nikki Beach nightclub on 22 August.