The Catalan police (Mossos d’Esquadra) has made public that plainclothes officers from Spain’s National police force followed Catalan president Quim Torra on Sunday November 10, the day of the Spanish general election. Spain’s interior ministry has denied that officers were ordered to follow Torra, but the Catalan interior minister has nontheless sent a letter asking for explanations from his Spanish counterpart.

According to the Mossos officers, people in two cars they approached identified themselves as members of the National police, and while they denied they were keeping tabs on the president, Buch said the Mossos had not been informed of their presence beforehand. The incident reported by the Mossos officers took place just before Torra went to vote, when they noticed a car with three men inside that was illegally parked. After talking to the men, they showed their police ID, saying: “We’re here for the same reason.”

The Mossos then saw a second car approach the first, and after the occupants of both vehicles exchanged words, it drove away before the Catalan officers could make a note of its registration plates. After Torra had voted, the Mossos officers noticed a third car that appeared to follow them for 10 minutes. After the car went through a red traffic light, the Catalan officers stopped the car and its occupants also identified themselves as National police officers.