Spanish politician Isabel Carrasco shot dead
A top female politician in the northern Spanish city of Leon has been shot dead in public.
Isabel Carrasco, 59, head of the provincial government in Leon, was shot several times by a young woman as she crossed a footbridge.
Spanish media report that a mother and daughter have been arrested, and that the daughter had recently been fired from the council.
Spain’s Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy has cancelled engagements.
Rajoy is head of the Popular Party to which Carrasco belonged.
She was the head of the PP in Leon as well as head of the local government.
The opposition Socialist Party and other parties also cancelled campaign events.
Carrasco was attacked on her way to a party meeting near her home at about 17:20 local time (15:20 GMT).
“Everything points to it being a personal act of vengeance unrelated to her public position,” a spokeswoman for the Spanish interior ministry said.
About 200 people gathered near the scene of her death, including the Mayor of Leon, Emilio Gutierrez, and several councillors and other local dignitaries, reported the ABC news website.
Witnesses told Spanish media that a woman shot at Ms Carrasco three times as she crossed a bridge over the River Bernesga.
Two witnesses told Spanish newspaper El Pais they heard five shots. “We thought they were firecrackers,” one witness said.
In a statement, the PP said campaign events for Monday and Tuesday had been cancelled, and thanked those who had offered condolences.
Rajoy said on Twitter that he was “shocked” at Carraco’s death. “It is a time to be united,” he added.
(BCC)