Catalan separatist freed from Italy jail, to appear before court later

FILE PHOTO: Catalan MEP Carles Puigdemont gestures 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/File Photo

BARCELONA/ROME (Reuters) -A court in Sardinia released Catalan separatist leader Carles Puigdemont from custody on Friday, a day after Italian police detained him under a European arrest warrant issued by Spain, Italy's Justice Ministry said.

Spain has demanded that Italy extradite Puigdemont, who headed Catalonia's government at the time of a vote on independence from Spain in 2017 which courts said was illegal.