Catalan separatist leader detained in Sardinia, his office says

FILE PHOTO: Catalan MEP Carles Puigdemont looks on during a joint news conference with Catalan MEPs Antoni Comin and Clara Ponsati regarding their immunity at the European Parliament, in Brussels, Belgium June 3, 2021. REUTERS/Yves Herman

MADRID (Reuters) -Catalan separatist leader Carles Puigdemont was detained on Thursday by Italian police in Sardinia, his office said in a statement.

Spain has accused Puigdemont, the former Catalan regional head, with sedition, claiming he helped organise a 2017 independence referendum deemed illegal by Spanish courts.