COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) — The fugitive former leader of Catalonia arrived in Denmark Monday, and prosecutors in Spain immediately started proceedings to have him arrested and extradited.
Carles Puigdemont landed at Copenhagen airport in the morning on a flight from Belgium, where he has been since fleeing Spain. He was immediately surrounded by media, but he made no comment before he got into a car that drove him away to an undisclosed location.
He is slated to take part in a debate at the University of Copenhagen on Monday. The following day he has been invited to the Danish Parliament by a Faeroese lawmaker, although leading members of the government and opposition have declined to meet him.
In Spain, the state prosecutor’s office said it has asked the Supreme Court to approve a European arrest warrant for Puigdemont’s arrest. It’s unclear if Judge Pablo Llarena will grant it. In December, Llarena withdrew a similar order, amid concerns that Belgium would send Puigdemont back to Spain but restrict the crimes with which he could be charged.
Copenhagen police spokesman Riad Tolba told The Associated Press that no arrest warrant has arrived yet so Puigdemont has not been arrested yet.
Puigdemont is being investigated by Spain over a unilateral declaration of independence by Catalonia’s parliament on Oct. 27.
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