Catalan leaders have voted to unilaterally declare independence from Spain, just hours before Madrid was expected to impose direct rule on the region.
Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy has called on the country’s representatives to approve direct rule over Catalonia.
Spain will begin the process of suspending Catalan autonomy on Saturday in the wake of the unofficial independence vote earlier this month.
Police searching for the chief suspect in last week’s Barcelona terror attack have shot dead a man wearing a suicide belt in a confrontation near the city.
A toxic combination of history and social tension makes Spain fertile ground for extremist recruitment.