Spain stunned as exiled leader defies arrest warrant to rally crowds

Former Catalan separatist leader Carles Puigdemont defied an arrest warrant to speak to crowds at a rally in Barcelona after seven years of self-imposed exile, before disappearing into thin air as cops desperately tried to hunt him down. Amid a heavy police presence, Puigdemont told a crowd of thousands of followers in the Catalan capital he aimed to revive the independence drive that plunged Spain into political crisis in 2017. 'They thought they'd be celebrating my arrest and they thought that this punishment would dissuade us,' he told the massed gathering. 'Well, they are wrong.'

Authorities suspect that, when he had finished speaking, Puigdemont got into a white car belonging to a police officer and fled the scene, a Catalan interior department spokesperson said, sparking a frantic search by authorities that continued into the night. Former Barcelona Mayor Xavier Trias, who was present at the rally, marvelled at Puigdemont's flight, saying simply: 'It was magic.' It came after Spanish police yesterday searched the sewers after the exiled leader pledged to sneak back into the country - with a door linking the Catalan Parliament to Barcelona Zoo to prevent any elaborate attempts to breach the premises.

The regional police, known as the Mossos d'Esquadra, said two of its officers had been arrested as part of their investigation into Puigdemont's whereabouts, including the owner of the car. The separatist leader, 61, fled to Belgium seven years ago after a failed secession bid and has been living in exile ever since. He faces an arrest warrant for alleged embezzlement related to a 2017 independence referendum ruled illegal by the Spanish courts. Puigdemont says the vote was legal and therefore the charges linked to it have no basis. Spain's Socialist-led national government in Madrid approved an amnesty in May which cancelled legal proceedings against hundreds of separatists involved in the illegal referendum.

But the country's Supreme Court last month ruled the law didn't apply to an outstanding embezzlement charge against Mr Puigdemont, the former leader of the hardline Junts party. He sparked a major alert after boasting of his imminent return in a video posted on X yesterday, in which he warned: 'I have started the return journey from exile.' A Mossos spokesman said there was no prior arrangement with Puigdemont for his arrest and the force had decided the detention should be made 'at the most appropriate time so as not to generate public disorder.' Puigdemont ally Laura Borras described the arrested officer on X as 'a patriot and exemplary Mosso.'

The hunt for Puigdemont created traffic chaos in Barcelona and near the border with France as police set up roadblocks and searched car boots. In Barcelona, several Puigdemont supporters clashed with police in a bid to breach the cordon surrounding the park housing the regional parliament building. Officers clad in riot gear used batons and pepper spray to deter them. Reacting to news that Puigdemont had again absconded from under the noses of a large police deployment, a Supreme Court source said a judge had been clear in his instructions that the former Catalan president was to be arrested. 'The Mossos know that they have a detention order... they had the obligation to detain him and bring him before the courts,' the source said.

Two national police unions also criticised the failure to arrest Puigdemont. 'Where are the Mossos? The best-paid police force in Spain incapable of doing their job, of arresting the coup-monger and fugitive from justice Puigdemont,' police union Jusapol said on X. Two sources with links to the Catalan government said it had identified a problem with some rogue Mossos, who appear to be loyal to Puigdemont. A government spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment, nor did Puigdemont's lawyer. His arrest could jeopardise the Socialist-led national government's fragile alliance with Puigdemont's Junts party, on which it relies for legislative support.

Catalonia's parliament yesterday afternoon confirmed Salvador Illa, an ally of Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, as head of the Catalan government. 'I will govern for everyone having into account the plurality and diversity of Catalonia,' Illa said. The Socialists hope taking control in Catalonia after a decade of separatist rule will turn the page on the independence drive. The Spanish parliament passed an amnesty law in May pardoning those involved in the failed 2017 secession bid, but the Supreme Court upheld arrest warrants for Puigdemont and two others who were also charged with embezzlement, ruling that the amnesty law does not apply to them. The crowd of thousands, who had gathered near the parliament to welcome him, hoped his return would help build momentum towards independence, which has lost support in recent years.

'It represents the return of a symbol,' said Xavier Vizcaino, 63, who was wrapped in an independence flag. No-one had expected him to disappear again. Yesterday authorities had sealed off all but one entrance 300-year-old Catalan Parliament building, a former arsenal, which is situated in the 76-acre Parc de la Ciutadella. Formal identification was required to get through. A room-by-room sweep of the 300-year-old building is being conducted by officers, who are also checking the basement. The route to the zoo, which surrounds the neoclassical building on three sides, has been shut and guarded to prevent access.

A spokesman for the Mossos d'Esquadra, Catalonia's autonomous police force, told website Politico: 'These are standard security procedures that are carried out before any investiture ceremony.' But he added officers would 'evidently' take anyone into custody who was found in the area with an outstanding arrest warrant. Mr Puigdemont decided against taking part in the European elections in June so that he could stand for the Catalan presidency. However, he came second to Socialist candidate Salvador Illa, who has made a deal to form a minority government. He believes his presence in the city could encourage elected members to ditch the deal. Esquerra Republicana de Catalunya, the moderate socialist party currently governing the region, said Mr Puigdemont's return would be an 'exceptional moment'.

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