Ex-Catalan leader Carles Puigdemont detained in Sardinia

Ex-Catalan leader Carles Puigdemont is detained in Sardinia four years after his role in the region’s failed bid for secession from Spain

  • Ex-regional president was held under European arrest warrant issued by Spain
  • He was wanted by authorities for his role in a failed bid for secession 4 years ago 
  • Puigdemont, who holds a European Parliament seat, lost his immunity this year
  • He had been due to attend an event on the Mediterranean island this weekend


Former Catalan leader Carles Puigdemont was detained in the Italian island of Sardinia, his lawyer said last night.

Gonzalo Boye wrote on Twitter that the ex-Catalan regional president, wanted by Spain for his role in a failed bid for secession four years ago, was being held under a European arrest warrant issued by Spanish authorities in 2019. 

His arrest was confirmed by Boye to the Associated Press.

Former Catalan leader Carles Puigdemont was detained in the Italian island of Sardinia, his lawyer said last night 

Puigdemont, who now holds a seat in the European Parliament, lost his immunity earlier this year.

Sardinian media reported earlier in the week he was due to attend an event in Alghero on Sunday, so his presence on the Mediterranean island was expected. 

Local reports also suggest that Puigdemont was invited by a Sardinian pro-separatist group, but the politician’s office said in a statement that he had travelled to Alghero from Brussels to attend a folklore festival.

Police at the airport in northern Sardinian didn’t respond to requests for comment on Thursday night, while authorities in the city of Alghero said they weren’t aware of his detention. 

Puigdemont and a number of his separatist colleagues fled to Belgium in October 2017, fearing arrest after holding an independence referendum for Catalonia that the Spanish courts and government said was illegal.

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