Jimmy Jump, released by Oslo police, signs autographs for fans

Before being arrested, 'Jimmy Jump', a professional events invader, whose real name is Jaume Marquet Cot, had already updated his Facebook page with a link to a videoclip showing his "invasion" of Diges' Eurovision performance and his fan total went from 9,000 to 19,000 in a matter of hours and is fast approaching the 40,000 mark.  His own website was blocked by the authorities shortly after he was arrested.

Marquet, who was born in Sabadell (Catalunya) in 1974, had previously only "invaded" sporting events, including last year's French Open final at Roland Garros, where he tried to place the traditional Catalan "barretina" on Roger Federer's head.  He faces up to 12 months in prison for that antic.  Prior to that, he ran throught the starting lane at the 2004 Spanish Grand Prix, and entered the pitch at the start of the second half of the 2007 Rugby World Cup final between England and South Africa.

Perhaps his most famous "invasion" to date was during the 2006 UEFA Champions League semi-final between Villarreal and Arsenal, when he ran on to the pitch just before the second half began and tossed a Barcelona jersey at Arsenal striker Thierry Henry, with Henry's name and the number 14 printed on the back. (On 25th June 2007, Henry was transferred to Barcelona and was given his number 14.) Jimmy was apprehended and taken into custody by stadium security, and later fined €60,100 by Spain's sporting anti-violence commission.

The organisers of the Eurovision Song Contest came under fire in the Norwegian press for the lack of security at the event, calling Marquet a "lunatic".   Marquet was on stage with Diges while he was singing "Algo Pequeñito" for almost half a minute, joining in with the dancers, whilst sporting a T-shirt advertising his own website, along with the traditional red Catalan hat, the "barretina".  His "invasion" was seen by over 150 million people worldwide.

'Jimmy Jump' had made no secret of the fact that he was in Oslo, uploading photos of himself in the Norwegian capital on his Facebook page in the days prior to the contest, but the organisers of the event say they "were not informed" of his presence in the city.  

After being released from prison yesterday, Marquet spent the day signing autographs and handing out photos of his other notorious "invasions".  He denies performing his stunt for either economic or political reasons, saying that it was a "desire to be anti-establishment" and to "feel free" for a few minutes.