Dr Alexander Aslani, a 57-year-old surgeon whose cosmetic clients included television personalities from The Only Way Is Essex and Love Island, was shot dead at his Marbella clinic by a masked gunman. Spanish authorities subsequently arrested an 18-year-old Swedish national who admitted to the killing.
An Execution in Plain Sight on the Costa del Sol
The assassination unfolded last week inside Dr Aslani’s Cirumed Clinic in Marbella, where several customers were present during the attack. According to investigators, a masked assailant dressed entirely in black entered the reception area, opened fire, and shot the surgeon directly in the head before fleeing on a waiting motorbike driven by an accomplice.
The suspect was apprehended less than 24 hours after the shooting. A Spanish judge ordered the 18-year-old Swede to be held in custody without bail and placed in solitary confinement pending further investigation. Spanish sources state that the young man has admitted to gunning down the doctor, yet he is reportedly refusing to answer questions from authorities.
Tragically, Dr Aslani’s wife, Jeannine, who was his director of nursing, was inside the facility at the time of the fatal shooting.
With the alleged gunman maintaining silence, detectives are actively exploring motives centered around dissatisfied former patients. Police are focusing on a theory that a client hired a contract hitman following a severe dispute over cosmetic procedures. Investigators are examining an incident where Aslani cancelled an operation halfway through after deeming a client psychologically unfit, subsequently issuing a refund and refusing to complete the procedure.
Another prominent line of inquiry involves a patient disgruntled by surgical outcomes who allegedly visited the clinic to issue threats. Local media outlet El Debate Andalucia reported that stones were thrown at the clinic’s windows four days after that confrontation. Furthermore, reports claimed Aslani received angry messages and mobile threats hours before his death. Local outlet Sur noted that the surgeon had previously gone to police in April to report work-related threats, though it remains unclear whether he named specific individuals in that statement.
Authorities have launched a major international hunt for a dissatisfied female client who has reportedly fled Spain for her home country in the Persian Gulf, according to Okdiario. Local reports allege she left alongside her wealthy husband, a man who previously visited the Cirumed Clinic to issue warnings to staff.
Concurrently, investigators have formally ruled out an earlier theory that the surgeon was targeted in revenge for a patient dying during surgery, finding no evidence that any such death occurred.
Legal Battles, Past Negligence, and UK Practice Restrictions
While Aslani’s clinic claimed to have performed over 14,000 operations—drawing roughly 70 percent of its clientele from the United Kingdom, including prominent reality television stars like Chloe Sims and Hannah Elizabeth—his career was marked by significant regulatory and legal friction.
Reports from the Olive Press uncovered that Dr Aslani faced extensive working restrictions agreed with Britain’s General Medical Council (GMC) starting in 2012. The GMC mandated improvements across six areas: patient assessment, record keeping, patient consent, prescribing, “working within limits” and post-operative care. By 2016, after surrendering his licence, he was listed as registered without a licence, meaning he could no longer legally work as a doctor in the United Kingdom.
Public records also reveal prior civil judgments against him and his affiliated institutions. In 2018, a Spanish court ordered Aslani, his hospital, and its insurers to pay £19,932.66 after ruling they were medically negligent following an operation that left a patient with an infection and a fistula.
| Year | Legal or Regulatory Action | Details |
|---|---|---|
| 2012 | GMC Working Restrictions | Dr Aslani faced GMC-imposed restrictions concerning patient assessment, record keeping, patient consent, prescribing, “working within limits” and post-operative care. |
| 2016 | Licence Surrender | Aslani surrendered his UK medical licence, leaving him registered without a licence to practise in Britain. |
| 2018 | Spanish Court Ruling | A Spanish court ordered Aslani, his hospital, and insurers to pay £19,932.66 for medical negligence and inadequate follow-up care. |
| 2021 | High Court Libel Judgment | Mr Justice Saini awarded Aslani £40,000 in damages after he successfully sued an influencer for defamatory allegations regarding her surgeries. |
On the civil front, Aslani was embroiled in a bitter High Court battle in London against influencer Paulina Sobierajska, who publicly accused him of botching three procedures. In 2021, Mr Justice Saini awarded the surgeon £40,000 in libel damages after Sobierajska failed to defend the case, ruling the sum reflected the “total falsity” of the allegations.
As the 18-year-old suspect remains remanded in solitary confinement without bail, Spanish authorities continue their search for associates who may have orchestrated the Marbella clinic shooting.
