A British fugitive has been arrested for allegedly shooting dead a Serbian gangster at an illegal party on the Costa del Sol.

The unnamed 43-year-old man, who police say was previously implicated in an attempted murder case in the UK, was found in the UAE after an international arrest warning over the killing in August.

According to the Spanish National Police, the 36-year-old victim had attended the party along with other revellers after an evening spent at a nightclub in Marbella.

They were invited to continue partying at a villa in El Paraíso, an upscale residential area in the resort town of Estepona.

At the house, the British suspect met the Serbian man and an altercation broke out, although it is unclear what provoked the dispute.

As the victim walked away from the clash, the suspect shot him “several times in the back”, police said.

He was dead before emergency services arrived at the scene.