Former Catalan separatist leader Puigdemont returns to Spain

Carles Puigdemont, the former leader of Catalonia who fled Spain over his role in a failed 2017 independence bid for the wealthy region, returned to Spain on Thursday after seven years on the run.

Puigdemont, the target of an arrest warrant, shouted, "Long live a free Catalonia!" as he climbed onto a stage in Barcelona to address a vast crowd, AFP reporters said. He returned to Spain to vote in Catalonia's regional parliament to elect a new leader.

AFP