Spanish agents followed Puigdemont

madrid - More than ten members of the Spanish intelligence service CNI have watched the separatist leader from Catalonia, Carles Puigdemont, on his journey from Finland to Germany. This has been confirmed by the authorities, according to the Spanish newspaper El País.

The CNI cooperated with the German criminal investigation department and was present when regional ex-prime minister Puigdemont was arrested at a gas station south of the Danish border. Puigdemont drove in a Renault Espace with Belgian license plates to Belgium where he has been living since October in Spain. He was traveling with four others.

The CNI came into action when a European arrest warrant was issued on Friday. Madrid had withdrawn an earlier order because the extradition by Belgium ran aground due to legal tugging. Puigdemont went to Finland on Thursday for a lecture. He disappeared from the picture on Friday.

Puigdemont has been charged with criminal offenses that he committed under Spanish law during a chaotic attempt to separate Catalonia from Spain.