Millionaire celebrity plastic surgeon Dr Alexander Aslani seemingly had it all... but four days after telling friends he feared for his life he was assassinated in cold blood

On the face of it Dr Alexander Aslani had it all.

The trail-blazing plastic surgeon – who drove to his clinic on the sun-drenched Costa del Sol each day in a distinctive grey Ferrari – had an impressive roster of celebrity clients which included reality TV stars along with members of the Qatari royal family.

Home for the world-renowned physician was a magnificent five-bedroom villa nestled in the scenic Mijas Costa foothills which enjoyed elevated views of the Mediterranean coastline and the surrounding Andalusian mountain landscapes.

The father-of-two spent much of his spare time aboard his 40ft yacht which was moored down below in a £15,000-a-year berth in the marina at the millionaire's playground of Puerto Banus.

Yet the jet-set lifestyle of Dr Aslani, 57, came to a violent and bloody end when a masked hitman walked into his clinic earlier this month and gunned him down in a hail of bullets.

Police sources told the Daily Mail the surgeon was hit four times as he cowered in his office in front of his patients, staff and his own wife Jeannine, who frequently passed by the clinic as she ran her own beauty salon next door.

Shocked detectives told how the last bullet was discharged directly into his face at point blank range – in what was perhaps a final insult from a disgruntled patient who hired a killer to exact a chilling revenge.

While enjoying the trappings of success, Dr Aslani had spoken publicly of the pitfalls of working in the frontline of a high-profile profession which carries immense reward – but where a single mistake could end in a career-ending scandal.

Now the Daily Mail can reveal for the first time how the German-born surgeon – known to his clients as a cool-headed perfectionist dedicated to his work – had privately told of his fears that his life was in danger just days before his assassination.

He had previously alerted police over death threats after being targeted by a disgruntled client.

Despite his outward calm, we can reveal Dr Aslani had become increasingly unnerved and was living in fear of his and his family's safety.

It had appeared to be business as usual when Dr Aslani – who was renowned for a pioneering procedure known as 'the super-charged Brazilian butt lift' – travelled to a plastic surgery conference in Brussels, where he carried out an address to delegates.

But Dr Aslani – who had beefed up security at his home in the village Majadilla del Muerto which is a 30-minute drive away from his Marbella clinic – revealed his concerns to a fellow delegate just three days before his murder.

The colleague, who hails from the Middle East but asked not to be named, told the Mail: 'It was such a shock for me when I heard the news of what happened to Alex.

'He had been with us in Belgium the weekend before he died and left on the Sunday, as usual he was informative and knowledgeable and shared his years of experience with us.

'Publicly he was happy and relaxed but privately he seemed concerned.

'I've visited him and his wife Jeannine many times and stayed with them, they have two lovely daughters and she is devastated.

'I've sent her my condolences but as you can imagine she is in such a state of shock, as we all are in the plastic surgery world, Alex was such a well-respected surgeon with a huge international reputation.

'I know he was worried about security and I'd heard he had issues, he had cameras at the clinic and at home, I know that but he didn't have a bodyguard with him in Brussels, he may have had one in Spain, I don't know.

'Poor, poor Jeannine, she has two lovely girls, and this is such a waste of a life, it's really very sad and there is no justification at all for such a violent act.'

Dr Fahad Mirza, a Pakistan-based plastic surgeon, also paid tribute to Dr Aslani and revealed he had spoken to him just hours before he died.

The pair were planning for a conference Dr Aslani was due to address in Karachi in three weeks.

'I'm so, so shocked. I spoke with him a few hours before he died,' Dr Mirza told us.

'He was coming to Karachi with his wife and one of his daughters, we called him 'The Master' because he was so good at his job. No one can believe what has happened, he was a fantastic colleague and a friend.

'When we spoke, he didn't seem to have any concerns, but these are not always noticeable on a phone call, and I've read the reports it was an unhappy patient.

'That is something we have to deal with. Occasionally people can become obsessed with their image, it's body dysmorphia and they are convinced they have flaws; despite any surgery they have had being successful and proper procedures followed.'

After returning to Spain, Dr Aslani – who had performed more than 7,000 of the operations in a career spanning more than 30 years – was back hard at work at his Circumed Clinic.

Specialising in body contouring and facial surgery he had attracted patients from more than 40 countries with clients including Chloe Sims from The Only Way Is Essex and Love Island star Hannah Elizabeth.

It was at 6pm on Wednesday, October 7 that the hitman struck. Dressed all in black, with a hoodie pulled over his crash helmet, the killer walked into the clinic, swiftly located Aslani and shot him repeatedly before fleeing on a motorbike.

Neighbours told how in the aftermath of the shooting Dr Aslani's wife ran from the building screaming hysterically: 'They've killed my husband.'

Making his getaway on a Yamaha Maxi Scooter along the slip road by the A7, the alleged killer turned right towards the Bello Horizonte area of Marbella where he was seen getting into an Audi which sped away.

He was caught on CCTV and automatic number plate recognition technology enabled police to track the car.

The man was traced to an Airbnb in Benalmadena 25 miles away where he had checked in under a false name. Police broke down the door to arrest him.

The suspect – an 18-year-old Swedish national – denies involvement and has been remanded in custody without bail while the investigation continues.

The man has allegedly refused to reveal who hired him and who his accomplices were with police still looking for the driver of the Audi.

Detectives from Marbella's UDEV murder squad revealed Dr Aslani had reported threats to police from an unidentified patient back in April who was unhappy with a procedure he had carried out.

Earlier this week local media reported how officers were investigating a wealthy Arab client who had demanded the return of a £17,000 deposit from Dr Aslani.

He had allegedly refused insisting they were the 'standard charges' for preliminary procedures involving a Brazilian Butt Lift.

According to respected newspaper Diario Sur the woman and her husband had been 'threatening' Dr Aslani for several months.

They are said to have visited the clinic to 'issue warnings' to staff before leaving Spain for an unidentified country in the Middle East.

What is also intriguing is just how well the assassin knew the layout of the clinic, he was able to walk in, march past the reception desk and the waiting area with its leather sofa and coffee machine straight into Dr Aslani's office.

The clinic has remained closed since the killing but neighbours told how they heard 'screaming and shouting' before police and paramedics arrived at the scene within minutes.

One said: 'I hadn't seen his wife since the night of the shooting but a couple of days ago she turned up and then I saw his grey Ferrari had gone from the underground car park, so she must have taken it home.

'Their children are at the same school as mine, but nothing has been said and they haven't come back to class yet.'

While high-profile clients have posted glowing tributes of the surgeon he has also previously been at the centre of controversy.

In 2012, Dr Aslani was disciplined by the UK's General Medical Council when the watchdog ordered him to tackle 'deficiencies' in six areas of his practice, including patient consent and post-operative care.

The ruling meant he wasn't allowed to operate in the UK at the time without written permission, and had to work under a medical supervisor.

Then, four years later, he gave up his medical licence in Britain, meaning he could not legally work in the country.

In 2020 influencer Paulina Sobierajska, who had undergone three procedures by Dr Aslani, claimed the last one was 'botched', saying her implants had been wrongly positioned and she needed further reconstructive surgery.

Having initially promoted Dr Aslani to followers, she then urged women not to book any procedures with the surgeon.

Dr Aslani took Ms Sobierajska to the High Court for libel, with the court ruling in his favour and ordering Ms Sobierajska to pay £40,000 in damages.

In a separate 2018 court case, records show one client sued Dr Aslani for medical malpractice after an operation by him and inadequate follow-up care.

Dr Aslani, the hospital and its insurers were ordered to pay nearly £20,000.

Before setting up his Cirumed Clinic in Marbella in 2018, Dr Aslani trained in Austria and South Africa, and he also worked as a consultant plastic surgeon in Birmingham's Dolan Park Hospital from 2006-2007 and London's Highgate Hospital at the same time.

His LinkedIn profile says he became head of plastic surgery at the Quiron hospitals in Marbella and Malaga in 2008 and he was rated as one of Spain's leading surgeons.

Along with reports of a disgruntled Arab client it has also been claimed the family of a Colombian woman who reportedly died following surgery had sought revenge.

What is increasingly clear is the growing level of organised crime on the Costa del Sol and the ready availability of guns for hire – with killers recruited from overseas and some barely out of school.

In an interview on local radio earlier this week Fernando Bentabol, of the anti-drugs department in Malaga, was asked about Dr Aslani's murder and said the area had a 'serious problem with paid assassins'.

He added: 'There are now veritable organisations dedicated to having people travel from certain places, especially many from northern Europe, who are simply hired for this type of operation.

'They come, carry out the assassination, and then leave. And this is very easy to arrange through the dark web.'