Ex-Catalan leader ‘eludes police manhunt and flees Spain’

Carles Puigdemont made a surprise appearance in Barcelona on Thursday

Carles Puigdemont, the exiled ex-Catalan leader, has evaded a massive police manhunt and fled Spain, his party has said.

Spanish authorities launched a large manhunt for Mr Puigdemont on Thursday after he made a shock return to Spain, gave a short speech to crowds in Barcelona and then disappeared.

The 61-year-old is wanted by Spain on charges linked to a failed bid for Catalan independence in 2017.

After a tumultuous 24 hours on the run, Mr Puigdemont is now back in Belgium where he lives, his party's secretary general Jordi Turull said on Friday.

In 2017, Catalonia's pro-independence leaders including Mr Puigdemont organised a referendum - which was ruled illegal by Spain's constitutional court - and later declared independence for the region.

Madrid imposed direct rule on the region soon after and Mr Puigdemont fled to Belgium.

For much of the past several years he has lived in Brussels.

On his return after seven years in exile, Mr Puigdemont briefly addressed hundreds of supporters gathered near the Catalan parliament in Barcelona.

"Long live a free Catalonia!" he told supporters and international journalists on Thursday, before saying that he had returned "to remind you that we are still here".

"Holding a referendum is not and will never be a crime," Mr Puigdemont added before quickly disappearing.

In an interview with RAC1 radio station on Friday, Mr Turull said he knew the ex-Catalan leader was in Brussels but could not confirm whether he had made it back to his home in the Waterloo municipality.

The chief commissioner of Catalan police Mossos d'Esquadra, Eduard Sallent, told journalists on Friday he did not have any information about Mr Puigdemont's whereabouts and the plan had been to arrest him "in the most suitable place".

He confirmed that two officers were detained on suspicion of helping Mr Puigdemont flee, adding that "it is possible that other Mossos helped him in his escape" and the force would follow the appropriate criminal and administrative process for each case.

One officer allegedly owns a car in which Mr Puigdemont escaped after making his address, Spanish media reported. The force denied allegations that there had been any collusion with the former leader.

Instead, it said, he "took advantage of the numbers of people around him and fled the scene in a vehicle that the Mossos tried to stop but failed".

According to the party's secretary general, Mr Puigdemont had been in Barcelona since Tuesday before making his surprise appearance outside Barcelona's parliament on Thursday.

Mr Turull said the former separatist leader had dinner in Barcelona on Tuesday night and spent all of Wednesday and Thursday in the region.

His appearance coincided with the investiture of Socialist Salvador Illa as the new Catalan president.

A manhunt was launched, with roadblocks set up temporarily around Barcelona and Spanish TV showing images from La Jonquera, a municipality bordering France, where police could be seen stopping cars and checking the boots.

Catalonia's police are facing strong scrutiny from a Spanish Supreme Court judge, who has demanded an explanation as to why Mr Puigdemont was able to get away.

Judge Pablo Llarena, who issued Mr Puigdemont's arrest warrant, has also asked Spain's interior ministry about its plans to arrest him at the border.

In documents made public by the Supreme Court, Mr Llarena asked the ministry to explain what orders were issued to detain him "after his escape".

On Friday, Justice Minister Felix Bolanos said the search for Mr Puigdemont was the Mossos' responsibility as the law enforcement authority in Catalonia.

But Mossos director general Pere Ferrer said Thursday's events left the police "in a situation they do not deserve" and blaming officers for "unresolved political problems is bad business".