Inside the funeral of notorious Scottish 'Lyon' gangsters gunned down in Costa del Sol: From the tributes to the 'diamond' crooks and poignant words by their families, to the chilling threat by underworld hoods to the mourners
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Mourners turned out for the funerals of two Scottish gangsters on Friday after they were gunned down in the Costa del Sol.
Top 'Lyons' gang figures Ross Monaghan, 43, and Eddie Lyons Jnr, 46, were shot dead in the hours after the Champions League final at Monaghans bar in Fuengirola, Spain, on May 31.
Their bodies were released to their families by Spanish authorities earlier this week and today their funerals took place back-to-back at a crematorium in north Glasgow.
About 600 wellwishers crammed into Bishopbriggs Crematorium on the outskirts of Glasgow this afternoon, with the chapel - which has seating for 120 people - being packed out with standing room only.
An estimated 200 people were forced to brave heavy rain outside as the ceremony was played on TV screens and through speakers, while a guitarist and violinist performed inside at the start or the service.
At today's commemorative events, each of the two men had their names spelt out in a floral tribute in their respective silver hearses.
The order of service had a picture of the pair on the front and stated: 'Celebrating the lives of Ross Monaghan and Edward Lyons.'
Neither Monaghan nor Lyons Jnr's name appeared on an early running order of services held at the funeral home on Friday - with both listed as 'private services'.
Their names later appeared on a digital display of services displayed in the reception area of Bishopbriggs Crematorium in north Glasgow, a short drive from the Possilpark and Milton areas where the Lyons clan is believed to operate.
Inside included snaps of Monaghan with the quote: 'Oh, they say people come, say people go. This particular diamond is we extra special.'
A page dedicated to Lyons Jnr included a montage of pictures from throughout the years, saying: 'We hold your heart in our hearts. We love you always forever.'
On the back page an image depicted a silhouette of the pair shaking hands in the sunset, as it read: 'Every man dies, but not every man really lives.'
A statement beneath said: 'Edward and Ross’ family would like to thank you for your support today and always.'
Eddie Lyons Snr acted as a pallbearer for his son, as part of a service in which it was heard how Lyons Jnr loved listening to Smooth Radio, would 'do anything for anyone' and had a hearty laugh.
It was also revealed Monaghan always wanted to be the best at everything he did, before the service ended with a montage of the pair along with an acoustic rendition of the 1984 Alphaville song Forever Young.
Ahead of the ceremonies, anonymous online thugs issued a chilling threat via social media, warning attendees they would be considered allies of the pair and a Dubai-based 'Mr Big' with whom the Lyons were said to be affiliated.
The post read: 'Anyone who attends the funeral of Edward and Ross this week will be treated the exact same way as them. This is now time to fight fire with fire. Family and friends take note. One man and his ego caused all this.'
The pair were cremated more than a month after the pair were shot dead at the bar, co-owned by Monaghan, as they sat drinking - as a hooded gunman walked up to Lyons Jnr, who was sitting outside, and shot him dead with a single bullet.
Monaghan ran inside as the killer, dressed in black, took aim again - before his weapon jammed.
Police say the hitman was able to unjam his weapon before training it on Monaghan, who collapsed to the floor as he is struck by multiple bullets.
As he crawled across the floor, he appeared to turn to look at his killer. Footage later shows him sitting upright, slumped against a wall.
Outside, passersby desperately tried to save Lyons Jnr before police and paramedics covered his body with a blanket.
The pair were both senior members of the Lyons crime gang, which has been at war with the rival Daniels clan in Glasgow for decades over the theft of a cache of drugs.
Lyons Jnr had been on a golfing trip with pals when he decided to hook up with best friend Monaghan who lived there.
A source said this week: 'Things are really beginning to heat up again now, especially in Glasgow.
'A house connected to the Lyons was recently smashed into with a motor. It went straight into the front room with people inside.
'The main figures in the Lyons crew will want to show strength at the funerals but at the same time this will put a target on their backs.
'Their boss Steven lives in Dubai and didn't turn up for the last major funeral so it remains to be seen if he will this time.'
Scottish cops initially downplayed any suggestion that a rival gangster in the UK was to blame but senior Spanish counterparts have claimed the killer was a member of the Daniels crime clan.
Top cop Pedro Agudo Novo said last month: 'The double murder was carried out by a professional killer and member of one of the victims' rival gangs.
'In this case we're not talking about an independent hired killer but an internal member of the rival Daniels gang who ends up assassinating two members of an enemy gang.'
Following the killings, police arrested suspect Michael Riley, 44, from Merseyside, last month.
He has appeared at Westminster Magistrates Court in connection with the killings and remains in custody, pending an extradition hearing, after magistrates deemed him a flight risk.
Riley was alleged to be set to flee for a 'paradise island tax haven' before he was detained, according to Spanish authorities.
He allegedly used disguises to make his way through Spain to Portugal and then on to Leeds
And the hit coincided with an ongoing gang war in Edinburgh and Glasgow that has seen scores of firebombings and beatings - apparently targeting the Daniels and their associate, Edinburgh-based Mark Richardson.
A former Rangers football ultras 'capo', named in reports as 31-year-old Ross McGill, is thought to be orchestrating the war against Richardson and the Daniels from Dubai with a faceless group known as the Tamo Junto (TMJ).
Gangsters working for Richardson, who is currently behind bars, are thought to have ripped off McGill with £500,000 of fake cash for a cocaine shipment.
The Lyons were alleged to have fed McGill information on the Edinburgh-based gangsters as he conducted his campaign of revenge.
Staff at Rangers are said to be shocked by McGill's elevation to desert-based gang boss after enjoying a privileged status at the club for years as a leading figure in the Union Bears.
He stepped down from the role in autumn 2021, writing on a now-deleted Twitter account that he 'won't be able to attend matches as regularly'.
He wrote: 'Sunday will be my final game as Capo in BF1. What a journey it’s been but it's time for me to step down from this role.
'Been doing this for a long time and I won’t be able to attend matches as regularly. Thanks for so many amazing days & nights in the stands.'
He is said to have fled the country after the Encrochat messaging service was cracked by UK, French and Dutch police, exposing thousands of criminals and their illicit activities.
A Rangers source told the Daily Record: 'He was trusted by the club more than most of the security staff and was respected by the players, managers and directors.
'Nobody could have had even the slightest idea about his life of crime. We were led to believe that he ran his own business.'
'But it did seem strange that he just walked away from the club after being such a central figure for a number of years.'
Monaghan was previously linked to the murder of gangland enforcer Kevin 'Gerbil' Carroll, who was shot dead in an Asda supermarket car park in Glasgow in 2010.
He was accused of the murder but acquitted due to a lack of evidence.
Monaghan and Lyons Jr were also cleared of being involved in a brutal street attack on three men outside the Campsie bar in Bishopbriggs, East Dunbartonshire In August 2017.
Lyons Jnr was also shot and wounded in an attack in 2006, which was believed to have been carried out by Carroll.
After Monaghan’s brutal execution, it emerged he also ran an online supermarket selling expats a taste of home.
He became a director of Costa Shop And Drop after fleeing to Spain following a botched 2017 hit attempt outside a Glasgow primary school in which he was hit in the shoulder as he dropped off his daughter for the day.
The gangster sold Walkers Crisps, Weetabix, Colman’s Mustard, Pot Noodle snacks and even Irn-Bru with the slogan: ‘Craving Your Favourite British Food?’
About 50 people have been arrested in a crackdown on the violence that has spread across Scotland's central belt in recent months.
Police Scotland's chief constable Jo Farrell said last week she was still unaware of any alleged link between the Spanish killings and the ongoing warfare in Scotland.
And she has warned foreign-based criminals like McGill that her officers were working with prosecutors and the National Crime Agency - Britain's FBI - to bring them to justice, telling the BBC: 'We'll be coming after you.'
She added of the recent spate of arrests amid ongoing violence: 'We've created a lot of momentum and gained a lot of evidence and intelligence.
'We can see the temperature dropping in this space.'
Monaghans pub, meanwhile, has reopened under a new name - The Irish Rover - with a new landlord.
