Catalan separatist Puigdemont leaves Spain after avoiding arrest, ally says

Carles Puigdemont, leader of Catalan separatist party Junts and its secretary general Jordi Turull, make their way as Puigdemont returns to Spain, during a welcoming event organised by his party in Barcelona, Spain, August 8, 2024. Supporters of Catalan separatist leader Carles Puigdemont, wear straw hats as they form a barrier by linking arms next to a tent where Puigdemont stood, after he returns to Spain from seven years of self-imposed exile, in Barcelona, Aug. 8, 2024

Catalan separatist leader Carles Puigdemont was on his way back to Belgium on Friday, having appeared at a rally in central Barcelona despite an outstanding warrant for his arrest in Spain, his party's general secretary said on Friday.