Spain has moved closer to imposing central rule over Catalonia to thwart its independence push as the high court jailed the leaders of two of the largest separatist organisations.
It marks the first time senior figures in the secessionist camp have been imprisoned since Catalonia's unofficial independence referendum on 1 October.
The court ordered the heads of the Catalan National Assembly and the grassroots Omnium movement held without bail, pending an investigation for alleged sedition.
Prosecutors allege that the ANC's Jordi Sanchez and Omnium's Jordi Cuixart played central roles in orchestrating pro-independence protests that last month trapped national police inside a Barcelona building and destroyed their vehicles.
Catalan regional President Carles Puigdemont commented on Twitter: "Spain jails Catalonia's civil society leaders for organising peaceful demonstrations. Sadly, we have political prisoners again" - an allusion to past military dictatorship.
The High Court also banned the Catalan police chief, Josep Luis Trapero, from leaving Spain and seized his passport while he is being investigated for alleged sedition over the same incident, though it did not order his arrest.
In a confrontation viewed with mounting alarm in European capitals and financial markets, Mr Puigdemont today failed to respond to Madrid's ultimatum to clarify whether he had declared unilateral independence in a speech last week.
He now has until Thursday to back down.
In a letter to Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy, Mr Puigdemont gave no direct answer on the independence issue, instead making a "sincere and honest" offer for dialogue between the two men over the next two months.
In reply, Mr Rajoy said Mr Puigdemont's stance had brought Madrid closer to triggering Article 155 of the constitution, under which it can impose direct rule on any of the country's 17 autonomous communities if they break the law.
The Catalan government's campaign to break away from Spain has pitched the country into its worst political crisis since an abortive coup attempt in 1981.
Thousands have demonstrated in the Catalan capital Barcelona and other Spanish cities both for and against independence.
So far the crisis has been largely violence-free, except for the day of the referendum when national police assaulted voters with batons and rubber bullets in an effort to thwart the ballot.
