Catalan separatist leader Puigdemont arrested in Italy

Exiled former Catalan President Carles Puigdemont has been living in Belgium since 2017 and was visiting Sardinia when he was detained.

Exiled former Catalan President Carles Puigdemont has been arrested in Italy, his lawyer and an aide said, four years after fleeing Spain after an independence referendum that Madrid ruled unconstitutional.

The European Parliament member (MEP) was expected to appear in court on Friday at a hearing that could see him extradited to Spain to face sedition charges.

The Catalan leader – who has been based in Belgium since the 2017 referendum – was detained in Alghero, Sardinia, his chief of staff, Josep Lluis Alay, wrote on Twitter on Thursday.