The estimated 3,500 people who gathered to hear Puigdemont’s speech Thursday morning created a “nightmare” scenario for anyone trying to keep track of his movements, Dunn said. “It’s so easy to lose someone when so many people are swirling around, especially if the people tasked with tracking him are police officers that are also supposed to be doing crowd control and keeping an eye out for disorderly conduct.”
Given that Puigdemont’s team had said the politician would give a speech and then march to the Catalan parliament, the ex-MI6 officer added that the police monitoring his movements had “no real reason to put him under specific surveillance … He’s a well-known, public figure, they knew were he was going, and they were likely seeking to reduce the possibility of a direct clash with his supporters.”
Puigdemont was apparently aided by a sympathetic member of the Mossos who was himself arrested on Thursday afternoon. According to police officials cited by Spanish media, the politician allegedly fled in a vehicle owned by the police officer; Puigdemont was not with the cop when the officer was arrested. A second police officer was arrested later in the evening. The Mossos have announced further arrests will take place.
Dunn said that given the complexity of the situation, the officer’s help was likely key to Puigdemont’s escape. “A regular police force isn’t equipped to track someone in those kinds of crowd conditions, especially if that person can rely on an insider who knows what’s going on and can take advantage of an opportunity to help you vanish,” Dunn said.
‘Unbearable humiliation’
Puigdemont’s disappearance prompted the Catalan regional police to launch a full-scale manhunt. As part of Operatiu Gàbia (Operation Cage), agents set up checkpoints at all of the city’s exit points in a bid to locate the vehicle in which the former Catalan president was said to be traveling.
For most of Thursday, all of the Catalonia region was under lockdown, with roadblocks set up on major highways leading to France. Officers were also deployed to airports and train stations, where passengers were being subjected to additional controls in a bid to locate Puigdemont. Over 300 agents took part in the operation, which led to major traffic delays.