Spanish police are looking into the possibility that the shooting of former politician Alejandro Vidal-Quadras may have been linked to his ties with the Iranian opposition.
There is no evidence to back this link but investigators are considering it as one of several potential motives, a police source told AP.
Mr Vidal-Quadras had raised this suspicion from his hospital bed, after the former European lawmaker was shot in the face in broad daylight on a central Madrid street on Thursday.
A provincial brigade that handles terrorism and extremism joined the investigation on Thursday, another official said.
Both officials spoke to the Associated Press under the condition of anonymity - to protect the secrecy of the inquiries.
Mr Vidal-Quadras, 78, was attacked about 1.30 pm near his home in the Spanish capital and was conscious when taken to hospital by emergency crews.
There were no immediate arrests and police were checking on surveillance footage and witness accounts to identify the shooter, who had been seen wearing a black helmet. The suspect had fired one gunshot before fleeing on a motorbike driven by an accomplice.
A charred motorbike found later in the day in a suburban town on the outskirts of Madrid was being investigated, one of the officials said.
Four hours after the shooting, Madrid's Gregorio Maranon hospital said the gunshot had fractured Mr Vidal-Quadras' jawbone and that he would undergo surgery. It said the politician was stable and his life was not in danger.
Mr Vidal-Quadras was a member of Spain's conservative Popular Party, its regional leader in Catalonia, and a European Parliament member before leaving after three decades when he fell out with then-Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy.
After he broke away, he helped found the far-right Vox party. He left Vox shortly after a failed attempt to win a European lawmaker seat in 2014.
As part of his political career, Mr Vidal-Quadras has been aligned for decades with the Iranian opposition in exile, an involvement that was noticed by Tehran.
In January, the Iranian Foreign Ministry announced it imposed sanctions on Mr Vidal-Quadras along with others who had ties with the exiled opposition group known as the Mujahedeen-e-Khalq, accusing them of "supporting terrorism and terrorist groups."
The group, known as the MEK, began as a Marxist organisation opposing the rule of Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi. It claimed — and was suspected of — a series of attacks against US officials in Iran in the 1970s, something the group now denies.
The MEK operates under a variety of names, including the National Council of Resistance of Iran and the People's Mujahedeen Organization of Iran.
In mid-September, addressing a conference organized by the NCRI in Brussels, Mr Vidal-Quadras criticised European Union officials and leaders for not being strong enough in their opposition to Iran and in their support for the exiled opposition.
The MEK also has paid former American and European officials to speak at their summits in the past.
Reactions to the shooting poured in, with many politicians and commentators expressing surprise.
"Thank God it seems that Alejandro Vidal-Quadras is out of danger," Vox President Santiago Abascal said.
