Police in Catalonia have been hunting fugitive separatist leader Carles Puigdemont all day. He returned to Barcelona this morning after nearly seven years in exile, where he gave a short speech. He then fled in a waiting car.

Meanwhile, only “sporadic checks, especially in the border area”, Spanish media reported, citing police reports. Puigdemont posted a message late in the afternoon Instagram And with the text: “We are still here, long live a free Catalonia”, which may indicate that he fled.

Police have been trying to track down Puigdemont since the morning, using roadblocks and vehicle searches. Catalan police forces, the Mossos d’Esquadra, are searching for Puigdemont throughout the area.

The Catalan appeared standing alongside Josep Rul, the president of the Catalan parliament, at around 9 a.m. at a meeting of his supporters in central Barcelona. Near parliament, in front of around 3,500 supporters, he reiterated his desire for a “free and independent Catalonia.” Then he disappeared again.

Puigdemont briefly addressed his supporters:

Speakers on the podium called for a human corridor to accompany Puigdemont and other separatist leaders to parliament. But Puigdemont made his way through a tent to a waiting white car surrounded by supporters. Officers tried to stop the car, but were unsuccessful.

The police said the action was aimed at making the arrest “in a timely manner” so as not to disrupt public order.

Two officers were arrested after Puigdemont’s escape. They are accused of helping him escape. The getaway car allegedly belonged to one of the officers. According to Catalan media, police are also looking for a car with Dutch license plates that was behind the getaway car and drove away at the same time. It is not clear whether the driver of that car had anything to do with the incident.

Picture of the two cars:

After Puigdemont’s “magical escape,” as the mayor of Barcelona described it, the police set off. Gola operation, Cauterization process. With this protocol, examinations are performed in a specific area, which can be further expanded.

According to police sources, the operation was at level three as of 10am, with searches being carried out throughout Catalonia. Additional officers have also been sent to the borders with Andorra and France, and train stations and ports are being monitored.

The El Pais newspaper reported that the roadblocks temporarily ended around 12:30 p.m., but were later resumed. The checkpoints on the roads are constantly being moved. Long traffic jams have formed in various places.

Puigdemont is wanted on an arrest warrant by Spain’s Supreme Court on suspicion of embezzlement along with other independence leaders. Spain has an amnesty law that allows Catalan separatists who played a role in the 2017 independence referendum to be pardoned. But because he is accused of embezzling public funds, that does not apply to Puigdemont. He has lived in Belgium in recent years.