Ex-Catalan Leader Evades Police, Flees Spain
Fugitive ex-Catalan leader, Carles Puigdemont, has evaded a massive police manhunt and fled Spain, according to his party.
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.
He's 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.
For much of the past several years, Mr. Puigdemont has resided in Brussels, spending nearly seven years in exile.
In an interview with RAC1 radio station, Mr. Turull stated that he was aware the former Catalan leader was in Brussels but could not confirm whether he had returned to his residence in the Waterloo municipality.
Catalan police, known as Mossos d'Esquadra, are under intense scrutiny from a Spanish Supreme Court judge, who has demanded an explanation for how Mr. Puigdemont managed to escape.
Mr. Puigdemont's sudden appearance near the Catalan parliament in Barcelona occurred just moments before the investiture of Socialist Salvador Illa as the new Catalan president.
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