A Spanish judge has issued a European warrant for the arrest of ousted Catalan leader Carles Puigdemont, his Belgian lawyer told Flemish television late Thursday.

“I have just received word from my client that indeed it (the warrant) has been issued against the president and four other ministers who are in Belgium,” Paul Bekaert told the VRT channel.

"Practically it means that the Spanish judiciary will now send an extradition request to federal prosecutors in Brussels," he said.