Catalan ex-leader Puigdemont faces Italy extradition hearing

By GLORIA CALVI, COLLEEN BARRY and JOSEPH WILSON
Associated Press

SASSARI, Sardinia (AP) — Former Catalan leader Carles Puigdemont faces a hearing on the Italian island of Sardinia to decide whether to extradite him back to Spain where he is accused of sedition. A group of about 20 supporters rallied outside the courthouse Monday as Puigdemont arrived for the hearing. A Spanish judge has asked Italian authorities to also arrest two other separatists wanted by Spanish law who traveled to the island to show their support for Puigdemont. The Catalan separatist leader was detained Sept. 23 in Sardinia where he had arrived to attend a Catalan cultural festival at the invitation of a Sardinian separatist movement.