was also supported by the small group headed by the Doctor Albiñana, leader of the Spanish Nationalist Party. After the victory of the leftist Popular Front in the February 1936 election, José Calvo Sotelo became the leading speaker of the anti-republican forces in the Parliament, preparing the mood of anti-republican supporters for a coup d'état. Sotelo was aware that there was a planned rebellion within the army and while he would welcome such a development, believing only an authoritarian regime would solve Spain's problems, he was not part of the conspiracy and was not sure when the planned rebellion would happen or if it even would, thus he continued his normal political and personal life. Assassination After the Guardia de Asalto leader José Castillo was killed by falangists at 10pm on 12 July, a group of Guardia de Asalto and other leftist militiamen led by Civil Guard Fernando Condés went to Calvo Sotelo's house in a government's car in the early hours of 13 July on a revenge mission. While they also planned to kidnap Gil-Robles as well, he was not in Madrid at the time. Sotelo was arrested and later shot dead in a police truck. His body was dumped at the entrance of one of the city's cemeteries. According to all later investigations, the perpetrator of the murder was a socialist gunman, Luis Cuenca, who was known as the bodyguard of PSOE leader Indalecio Prieto. Both Condés and Cuenca later died in the first few days of the civil war. Though the government denounced the murder and promised to investigate, it made no effort at conciliation. Censorship was immediately imposed to conceal the truth, nothing was done to apprehend those directly responsible and instead numerous Falangists and rightists were arrested (this was not unusual behavior when members of the political right were murdered by Popular Front members). A judge, Ursicino Gómez Carbajo, did take up the case independently within hours but the case was abruptly taken off his hands by the Guardia de Asalto , seemingly because he was an independent and honest judge. The first political response was from the Communist Party, who decided the assassination represented a time to forward one of their legislative drafts to other Popular Front groups, which essentially called for the banning of numerous right-wing parties, including CEDA, Renovación Española and Falange, the confiscation of their property and the confiscation of several