Catalan separatist Carles Puigdemont evades capture on return to Spain after nearly 7 years
- Carles Puigdemont faces charges of embezzlement for his part in an attempt to break Catalonia away from the rest of Spain in 2017
Police launched a manhunt in Barcelona on Thursday for ex-Catalonia leader Carles Puigdemont, a celebrated separatist who seven years after fleeing Spain sensationally returned to the country despite an outstanding arrest warrant.
Puigdemont had previously announced his intention to be in Spain on a day that Catalonia’s parliament is due to swear in a new president. The 61-year-old fugitive initially lived in Belgium after bolting Spain in 2017, but his latest place of residence wasn’t known.
Puigdemont kept his travel plans secret before setting out to the wealthy Catalan region in northeastern Spain. He gave a speech in front of a large crowd of supporters in central Barcelona under the noses of police officers, who made no attempt to detain him.
After his speech, in a cloak-and-dagger moment, Puigdemont went into an adjacent marquee tent. There, he hurried out of an exit and jumped into a waiting car that sped away, according to an Associated Press photographer who witnessed his departure.
Authorities, who may have wanted to avoid confrontation with the crowd of several thousand separatist supporters, had set up a police cordon at the nearby regional parliament where Puigdemont was expected to go afterward.