Police in Barcelona are actively searching for Carles Puigdemont, the former separatist leader of Catalonia, who made a surprising return to Spain after seven years of exile, despite having an outstanding arrest warrant. The Catalan police, known as Mossos d’Esquadra, implemented roadblocks within and around the city as part of Operation Jaula (“cage”), aimed at locating Puigdemont, who was last seen departing a rally in a car. The operation concluded a few hours later.
Puigdemont had resided in Brussels for much of his exile after being indicted by Spanish authorities on charges related to a failed attempt at Catalan independence in 2017. During that time, Catalonia’s pro-independence leaders, including Puigdemont, conducted a referendum that Spain’s constitutional court deemed illegal and subsequently declared independence for the region. The Spanish government then imposed direct rule on Catalonia, prompting Puigdemont to flee to Belgium.
On Thursday morning, Puigdemont briefly addressed a crowd of supporters near the Catalan parliament in Barcelona, just before the anticipated appointment of a new head of the Catalan government. He proclaimed his return was “to remind you that we are still here,” and asserted, “Holding a referendum is not and will never be a crime.” Following his speech, Puigdemont vanished from public view.
His supporters expected him to appear at the parliament building for the investiture ceremony at 10:00 (08:00 GMT), but he did not show up. A Catalan police officer was detained on suspicion of aiding Puigdemont’s escape, with reports suggesting the officer owned the car in which Puigdemont fled.
The Catalan interior department confirmed that roadblocks were established throughout Barcelona. Spanish television also showed police checkpoints in La Jonquera, a municipality on the border with France, where officers were inspecting vehicles.
Aleix Sarri, a Puigdemont ally, criticized the police operation on social media, claiming, “Hundreds of policemen encircle Barcelona to arrest President Puigdemont. A hunt paid with public money to please the powers in Madrid. This is not what a democracy does.” Reports indicated that police used pepper spray to disperse Puigdemont’s supporters near the parliament.
Ignacio Garriga, from the far-right Vox party, which vehemently opposes Catalan independence, declared that Vox would “do everything necessary to ensure that Puigdemont is arrested.”
Spanish commentators expressed surprise at the police’s inability to apprehend Puigdemont despite his announced return to Catalonia earlier in the week. On Wednesday, Puigdemont posted a video stating he had “started the return trip from exile,” and asserted that any attempt to arrest him would be illegal and arbitrary.
Several motives are speculated behind Puigdemont’s return to Spain. Primarily, he seeks to pressure authorities to apply the new amnesty law—which forgives legal actions against Catalan nationalists—to him, after the supreme court excluded him on technical grounds. He also aims to disrupt the investiture of Socialist Salvador Illa as the new Catalan president, who would be the first non-nationalist leader since 2010. Additionally, Puigdemont wants to reaffirm his and his party, Junts per Catalunya (JxCat), as the primary pro-independence force, portraying his rival, the Catalan Republican Left (ERC), as complicit with Spanish unionism due to their support for Illa’s investiture. With the ERC still in charge of the Catalan police until a new local government is established, Puigdemont’s return puts the party in an awkward position.
