German prosecutors on Tuesday lodged a formal application for the deposed Catalan president Carles Puigdemont to be extradited to Spain.

Mr Puigdemont has been held in Germany since being arrested last week on an international warrant issued by Spain.

A German court must now rule on whether he will have to return to Spain to face charges of rebellion over last year’s referendum and declaration of independence.

Prosecutors told the Schleswig-Holstein higher regional court they have determined Mr Puigdemont’s extradition is “justified” after “intensive examination” of the Spanish arrest warrant.

It will be for the court to decide whether it agrees with their assessment. Under EU extradition procedures the German judge will not consider the question of Mr Puigdemont’s guilt, which is for a Spanish court to decide.

Instead he will determine only whether the offences Mr Puigdemont is accused of would be a crime under German law.