World

Catalonia's Former President Has Been Detained In Germany

A Spanish judge issued an international arrest warrant for Carles Puigdemont on Friday.

Catalonia's Former President Has Been Detained In Germany
Getty Images
SMS

Catalonia's former leader has been detained in Germany after crossing the border from Denmark. That's according to his lawyer

Carles Puigdemont was on his way to Belgium from Finland when he was taken into custody on an international arrest warrant. 

Let's take a step back. In October, the then-Catalan president declared the region would separate from Spain after an independence referendum. 

That declaration led Spain to dissolve Catalonia's parliament and take control of the region. 

Puigdemont has been living in self-imposed exile in Brussels, Belgium. 

On Friday, a Spanish Supreme Court judge issued international arrest warrants for Puigdemont and five other former Catalan politicians. 

If Puigdemont returns to Spain, he could face up to 45 years in prison on charges of rebellion and sedition alone. He's also charged with misuse of public funds.