Catalonia leader says he will declare independence from Spain in matter of days

MADRID -- The leader of Catalonia's devolved government said the region will declare independence from Spain in a matter of days.

Carles Puigdemont told BBC News that his government would "act at the end of this week or the beginning of next," after all the votes from Sunday's referendum had been counted.

The Spanish King, Felipe VI, said late Tuesday that the organizers of the vote deliberately bent the law, and that the Spanish state needed to ensure constitutional order.

Meanwhile, Spain's National Court was to quiz two senior officers of Catalonia's regional police force and the leaders of two pro-Catalan independence civic groups who had been placed under investigation for sedition.

The court said Wednesday that the four would be questioned on Friday about their roles in demonstrations from September 21-22 in Barcelona, when Spanish police arrested several Catalan government officials and raided offices in a crackdown on preparations for last weekend's referendum on Catalonia's independence.

Spanish authorities said the demonstrations hindered the police operation. During the rallies, there were some disturbances and two police vehicles were thrashed.

The four include regional police chief officer Josep Lluis Trapero and Jordi Sanchez, the head of the Catalan National Assembly that has been the main civic group behind the independence movement.

Across Catalonia, thousands protested alleged violence by Spanish police that took place during Sunday's vote, in which almost 900 people were hurt. The police had been acting to prevent the referendum, which Spain's government declared illegal.

Puigdemont was scheduled to make a statement at 9 p.m. local time on Wednesday.