Spanish police have arrested the Catalan region's junior economy minister as part of a morning raid on several government offices in the run-up to an independence referendum, according to sources within the regional government.
Besides arresting Josep Maria Jove, police on Wednesday entered the local governmental offices of the economy, interior, foreign affairs, welfare, telecommunications and tax, the sources said.
Spain's Guardia Civil police on Wednesday searched several headquarters in Barcelona of Catalonia's regional government, a Catalan government spokesman said.

The operation comes amid mounting tensions as Catalan leaders press ahead with preparations for the independence referendum on October 1 despite Madrid's ban and a court ruling deeming it illegal.

Police were searching the Catalan government's offices of economic affairs, foreign relations and the presidency, the spokesman said.

The operation comes a day after police seized a trove of documents related to the October 1 referendum from the offices of private delivery company Unipost in the Catalan city of Terrasa.