The morning of August 8, 2024, was tense in Barcelona. Carles Puigdemont appeared right in the city center, on a narrow street near the Arc de Triomf, just a few minutes before nine. He was accompanied by Jordi Turull, while supporters and party activists had already gathered around. On a specially prepared stage, the leader of the independence movement was set to give a speech.
Although the Catalan police (Mossos d’Esquadra) were aware of his whereabouts, they did not move to detain Puigdemont. Later in court, police representatives explained that intervening could have caused chaos among the gathered crowd. At that moment, law enforcement’s focus was on ensuring security and maintaining order during a crucial parliamentary session where the fate of Catalonia’s new head of government was being decided.
The plan to detain him failed. After his speech, Puigdemont disappeared in just eight minutes. First, he hid in a tent covered with black fabric, then, using a diversion, moved through the crowd, got into a car, and left. It later emerged that the police officer assigned to track his movements had mixed up the car make, further complicating the situation. An internal investigation revealed the escape was carefully coordinated, and the actions of supporters helped the ex-president evade capture.
The leadership of Mossos d’Esquadra admitted that they did not expect Puigdemont’s return to Catalonia on that particular day. In court, former police chief Eduard Sallent confirmed that no measures for interception were coordinated with either the national police or border guards. It was anticipated that any possibility of detention would only arise at a more opportune moment, when there was no risk of mass unrest.
Currently, three police officers are suspected of assisting Puigdemont’s escape. The investigation is ongoing, and internal disciplinary proceedings against them remain open. The case involves the names Xavier Manso, Javier Rodrigo Niñerola, and David Goikoetxea. The judge has extended the investigation for another six months, and the public is closely following developments, as questions about the police’s actions that day remain unresolved.
