Spox-No Arrest Warrant For Junts Sec-Gen Amid Search For Puidgemont

A spokesperson for the Catalan regional interior ministry has stated that there is no arrest warrant out for Jordi Turull, Secretary-General of the pro-Catalan independence Junts. Instead the regional police (Mossos d'Esquadra) will summon Turull to testify regarding events earlier on 8 August that saw former regional president Carles Puigdemont return to Spain for the first time since 2017, deliver an address to a rally of thousands of supporters, and disappear despite being a wanted fugitive in Spain following the 2017 illegal Catalan independence referendum.

• A short time ago, Catalunya Ràdio and El Nacional reported that police ordered Turull be detained for questioning for his alleged role in Puigdemont's escape from justice in Barcelona. One Mossos agent has already been detainedfor allegedly conspiring in Puidgemont's escape.
• Local reports suggest that the intention to place an arrest warrant on Turull was reversed shortly before its issuance due to public outcry.
• The audacious escape and the 'cage' system imposed on Barcelona's roads to try to stop Puigdemont's flight risks sparking pro-separatist activists into protest.
• While seemingly a regional matter with little wider impact, the events of 8 August could have a broader impact on Spain's political stability. Any action against Turull or Puigdemont could also see Junts pulling its backing from PM Pedro Sanchez' minority gov't in Madrid, risking policy paralysis.