British suspect jailed for killing Czech man linked to John George murder
A BRITISH suspect is behind bars over the execution of a Czech man linked to the Costa Blanca murder of John George.
The 40-year-old expat from Torre Pacheco in Murcia was detained last week at the region’s Corvera Airport, as he was set to leave Spain.
He has been remanded in custody as part of an ongoing homicide investigation.
READ MORE: John George murder suspect is shot dead in the middle of a Costa Blanca street
The unnamed Brit is accused of murdering the 33-year-old Czech national , Michael Maly who was gunned down in a Torrevieja street in early March.
Maly was under investigation for his involvement in the killing of Northern Irishman John George, and has been on bail since early 2025.
George’s body was discovered on a lemon farm in Rojales in January 2025.
Sources close to the investigation say the Czech victim had given testimony linking key suspect, Jonny Smyth, and had reportedly received death threats before he was killed.
Smyth- from County Antrim- was arrested for the murder in Portugal last March and released from custody by a Torrevieja court on a €100,000 bond in December.
Investigators are examining whether Maly was murdered to prevent him from testifying in the case.
The Guardia Civil reportedly found John George’s blood on licence plates seized from Maly’s car.
He had told police that his only connection to what happened was a friendship that he had struck up with Jonny Smyth.
The adjoining Orihuela Costa area has seen two other shootings in recent months, both involving British citizens and linked to drug-related score-settling.
In one, a young Englishman was killed, while in another, a British man miraculously survived a hail of bullets while in his car before fleeing the country and later being remanded in custody.
The mounting violence has raised alarm among residents and officials.
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