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GUNMEN today opened fire at a Marbella restaurant loved by celebrities.

Police are hunting at least two armed men after bullet holes were left in the windows at La Sala.

Pictures show bullet holes in the windows
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Pictures show bullet holes in the windowsCredit: Solarpix
Glass was left strewn across the floor
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Glass was left strewn across the floorCredit: Solarpix

The pair are believed to have escaped on a getaway vehicle described as a high-powered motorbike after the terrifying incident at about 12.30pm local time.

A spokesman for Spain’s National Police said: “Fortunately no-one has been injured.”

The venue in upmarket Puerto Banus near Marbella is popular with British tourists.

Pictures from the scene show glass all over the floor of the eatery.

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Part of one of the windows has been completely destroyed.

The establishment is understood to have been hit by at least five bullets.

One worker said: "It was pretty terrifying. It’s a miracle no-one was hurt."

But one well-placed source said La Sala had been hit by stray bullets fired on the roundabout outside the premises.

The insider said: “La Sala wasn’t the target.”

A spokesman for La Sala said: “We open every day from 10am and were open at the time but have closed for the time being because of the incident.

“We are not sure yet if we will open this evening.”

Visitors to the restaurant over the years have included Tyson Fury, Anthony Joshua, Erling Harland, Jurgen Klopp and Harry Maguire.

La Sala opened in 2010 and it boasts on its website of being the only restaurant in the municipality of Marbella, which includes Puerto Banus, that offers live music, singers and DJs seven days a week and all day on Sundays.

The website adds: “Whether for the launch of the latest Bentley or welcoming Jamie Oliver for dinner, La Sala is now receiving worldwide recognition.

It is a flagship venue of Sala Group Holdings, whose chairman Ian Radford worked as a squash professional after moving to Marbella before developing a sports travel business.

Former midfielder David Bentley, once branded ‘the next David Beckham’, retired from football to focus on La Sala and remains a shareholder of the Sala group which owns bars and restaurants in Spain and Gibraltar.

He admitted to The Athletic in 2020 that he could have continued to play football and make more money but didn’t.

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Bentley said: “I’ve got more money than when I started. If I’ve got £100, I’m alright.

"I loved football but then it ran its course.”

Police at the scene in Marbella
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Police at the scene in MarbellaCredit: Solarpix
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