Alex Aizpuru, a 31-year-old taxi driver and DJ who had strong personal and professional ties to Ibiza, was killed in a shooting in the Gipuzkoa town of Azpeitia on September 1, 2026.

Aizpuru, who was known locally as Etxaun and performed as DJ Alexander Loop, was shot after another vehicle collided with the taxi he was driving. The Ertzaintza, the Basque regional police force, has opened an investigation and was still searching for the suspected gunman as of September 3.

His connection to Ibiza is one of the reasons the case has attracted attention on the island. Aizpuru had spent extended periods in Ibiza, worked as a DJ there and operated a water-sports business on the island. Spanish commercial records also show that he was the sole administrator of Nautiloop SL, an Ibiza company whose registered activities included watercraft rental and related nautical services.

What happened to Alex Aizpuru?

The shooting happened on Tuesday, September 1, in Azpeitia.

According to reports from the local area, Aizpuru was driving a black Mercedes when another vehicle struck his car from behind. He got out of the vehicle following the collision, after which the other driver allegedly fired several shots before fleeing the scene.

The Ertzaintza officially confirmed on September 1 that it had opened an investigation into the death of a man in Azpeitia caused by a firearm and was searching for the person responsible. The initial police statement did not identify the victim or provide a motive.

Subsequent reporting identified the victim as Alex Aizpuru.

Local reports have said that he was struck by multiple bullets, with at least one hitting his head. The exact number of shots has been reported differently by witnesses and individual outlets, so it is safer to describe the incident as a fatal shooting rather than rely on one unconfirmed shot count.

The suspected gunman remains at large

The investigation remained active on Thursday, September 3.

Police had identified a suspected vehicle connected with the shooting and located it in Azpeitia. Officers also searched properties connected to the person they were seeking, but the suspected perpetrator had not been found at the time of the latest reports reviewed for this article.

The Ertzaintza also began requesting security-camera footage from businesses in the area in an effort to reconstruct the suspect's movements and establish where he went after the shooting.

Authorities have not publicly established a definitive motive.

Some reporting has referred to the possibility of a premeditated attack or an alleged settling of scores, but these remain investigative theories rather than established facts. The Ertzaintza has not publicly confirmed the reason for the killing.

Alex Aizpuru was known in Ibiza as Alexander Loop

Aizpuru's connection with Ibiza goes back well before his recent work as a taxi driver.

He was active in electronic music from a young age and performed under the name Alexander Loop. Reports from the Basque Country say he played at a number of clubs and parties in Gipuzkoa and also worked as a DJ in Ibiza.

A 2015 profile in the Azpeitiko Herri Aldizkaria documented Aizpuru working at Privilege Ibiza during the summer under the name Alexander Loop. The profile said he had travelled to Ibiza to work at the club, where he worked behind the scenes while also DJing during his free time.

That earlier connection provides an important piece of context for understanding why his death has resonated beyond his home town.

He was not simply a visitor to Ibiza. The island formed part of his working life for years.

His Ibiza business was registered in Santa Eulària

Aizpuru's connection to the island also extended into business.

Spanish commercial records show that NAUTILOOP SL was established in 2022, with its registered address in Santa Eulària des Riu. Aizpuru Arocena Alex was appointed sole administrator. The company's registered business activities included the rental of jet skis and other recreational vessels, maintenance of watercraft and nautical and aquatic activities.

The company's own privacy documentation also identifies Alex Aizpuru Arocena as its responsible party and gives an Ibiza address for the business.

The business records independently support the reports that Aizpuru had commercial interests in Ibiza involving water sports.

From Ibiza DJ to taxi driver

In recent years, Aizpuru had moved into a different line of work.

Reports from Azpeitia say that he obtained a taxi licence and had been working as a taxi driver for roughly a year before his death. His DJ career nevertheless remained an important part of his identity within the local community.

People who knew him have described him as well known in Azpeitia and as someone with a reputation for being sociable and approachable. Local reporting has also noted his interests in music, cars and motorsport.

His career therefore crossed several different worlds: electronic music, Ibiza tourism and water-sports business, alongside his more recent work as a taxi driver in his home area.

A long relationship with electronic music

Aizpuru began DJing when he was young.

Reports about his life say that he initially played progressive music before moving into techno and exploring other electronic styles. Under the Alexander Loop name, he performed at venues in the Basque Country and developed a reputation within the regional electronic scene.

He also became involved in running a local venue. Reports say he was previously associated with Disco Inox in Azpeitia, where he was involved in the club's management roughly a decade ago.

His interest in electronic music therefore extended well beyond occasional DJ appearances.

His Ibiza years included work at Privilege

One of the clearest historical links between Aizpuru and Ibiza comes from a 2015 local profile.

The article documented his summer work at Privilege Ibiza, describing him as both a worker at the club and a DJ. It quoted him discussing the attraction of working on the island and his appreciation of the opportunity to perform at one of Ibiza's major venues.

Privilege has a long history in Ibiza's club culture, and Aizpuru's experience there placed him directly within an important part of the island's nightlife industry.

The old profile also shows that Ibiza was not a recent connection that emerged after his death. He had been spending significant periods on the island more than a decade earlier.

Aizpuru also had a connection to Ibiza's water-sports industry

His Ibiza life was not limited to nightlife.

The registration of Nautiloop SL shows that Aizpuru established a business connected with watercraft rental and nautical activities in Santa Eulària in 2022.

Local reporting following his death has described him as someone who frequently travelled to Ibiza and spent long periods there. His water-sports activity added another dimension to his relationship with the island beyond his work as a DJ.

The combination of electronic music and boating also reflects two major parts of Ibiza's summer economy: nightlife and marine tourism.

The murder shocked Azpeitia

The shooting took place in a public area of Azpeitia and caused considerable shock in the community.

Local reports describe witnesses initially believing that they were seeing a road accident before realising that a shooting had taken place. Aizpuru died at the scene.

His body was formally removed during the early hours of September 2 after police had completed their initial work at the scene.

Friends, relatives and other members of the community later gathered to pay their respects, with funeral information published in local notices.

Police search continues

As of September 3, the investigation remained open and the suspected shooter had not been located.

The Ertzaintza had carried out searches at properties in Azpeitia and had been working to obtain surveillance footage from businesses near the scene.

The vehicle allegedly used to flee the scene had been located, and investigators were continuing to examine evidence that could help them identify and locate the suspect.

Police have not publicly confirmed that Aizpuru and the suspected attacker had a specific prior dispute, although some local reporting says they may have known each other. That remains part of the investigation.

Possible motive remains unclear

Several reports have raised the possibility that the shooting was deliberate and possibly connected to a personal dispute or a settling of scores.

However, there is currently no publicly confirmed motive.

Reports mentioning a possible connection with drug trafficking are based on investigative reporting and background information about the suspected perpetrator, rather than an official finding that the killing was drug-related. It would therefore be premature to present that as the reason Aizpuru was killed.

The most reliable confirmed information at this stage is that Aizpuru died after being shot, that police are investigating the killing, and that a suspected perpetrator remained sought as of September 3.

The Ibiza connection is central to his story

For Ibiza, the most significant part of the case is the life Aizpuru built on the island.

He spent extended periods there, worked in its nightlife industry, performed as Alexander Loop and later established a business connected with recreational water activities. Commercial records confirm his formal involvement with an Ibiza-based nautical company.

His career illustrates how Ibiza can become much more than a holiday destination for people working around the island's seasonal economy.

Aizpuru moved between nightlife and tourism-related business while maintaining his roots in the Basque Country.

A life connected to music, Ibiza and motorsport

Away from DJing and business, Aizpuru was also interested in cars and motorsport.

Local reporting says he competed in rally events, beginning with a Rallysprint de Azkoitia appearance in 2017 in a Citroën Saxo VTS.

That interest formed another part of the profile of a young man who had pursued several different passions during his life.

His death has consequently been reported in the Basque Country not only as the killing of a taxi driver, but also as the loss of someone who had been active in music, business and motorsport.

What is confirmed about the case?

The key facts currently established by official statements and multiple reports are:

Alex Aizpuru Arocena was killed in Azpeitia on September 1, 2026.

He was 31 years old.

He was working as a taxi driver.

He had previously worked as a DJ under the name Alexander Loop.

He had performed and worked in Ibiza.

He spent significant periods on the island.

He was connected to the Ibiza company Nautiloop SL, which operated in the nautical and water-sports sector.

He was killed by firearm.

The Ertzaintza opened an investigation and began searching for the suspected perpetrator.

A suspected vehicle was located and police searched properties connected with the person they were trying to find.

As of September 3, the suspected shooter had not been located.

The motive had not been officially established.

A tragic loss with a lasting Ibiza connection

The death of Alex Aizpuru has shocked his home community in Azpeitia, but his story also reaches Ibiza.

For years, he maintained a relationship with the island through electronic music, work and business. His appearance as Alexander Loop connected him to Ibiza's club scene, including work at Privilege, while his later business activities connected him to the island's marine-tourism sector.

His death now forms part of a continuing criminal investigation in the Basque Country.

The Ertzaintza is still working to locate the suspected attacker and establish exactly why the shooting happened. Until those questions are answered, claims about the motive should remain treated as possibilities rather than facts.

For Ibiza, however, one part of the story is already clear: Aizpuru had a genuine and longstanding connection to the island, where he had worked, performed and built part of his life.