Former Italian Red Brigades member escapes house arrest in Argentina

What the report says

Former Italian Red Brigades member Leonardo Bertulazzi escaped house arrest in Argentina after using a rope and harness to climb down from a fifth-floor apartment, Al Jazeera reported, prompting a nationwide search. Argentine police said the 74-year-old was still at large on Wednesday after slipping away from custody in Buenos Aires on Tuesday.

According to the report, Bertulazzi faces extradition to Italy to serve a 27-year sentence tied to terrorism-related convictions. He had been re-arrested in Argentina in August 2024 after the government revoked his refugee status under President Javier Milei, and Argentina’s Supreme Court later approved his extradition. Authorities said his electronic ankle monitor appears to have been tampered with, delaying detection of the escape.

Police described a route from the apartment to a neighboring terrace, then across a vacant lot and over a gate to reach the street. Argentine authorities have offered a reward for information leading to his capture. The case is significant because it involves a former member of a group associated with Italy’s violent “Years of Lead,” including the 1978 kidnapping and killing of former Prime Minister Aldo Moro. It also highlights ongoing cooperation, and friction, between Argentine and Italian authorities over extradition in a decades-old political violence case.