Former Italy Red Brigades member escapes in Argentina ahead of extradition

Italian Red Brigades veteran Leonardo Bertulazzi absconded from house arrest in Buenos Aires on Tuesday, just before his anticipated extradition, confirmed Argentina's National Security Ministry on Wednesday. Italian authorities had sought Bertulazzi's extradition to face a 27-year prison term for subversive activities in 1987. Currently 74 years old, Bertulazzi had been under house arrest in Buenos Aires since August 2024.

The Ministry announced a reward of 20 million pesos (approximately US$13,000) for information leading to his capture, per a resolution in the Official Gazette.

Bertulazzi, a senior figure in the far-left Red Brigades, which was responsible for numerous violent attacks during the 1970s and 1980s, notably the 1978 kidnapping and murder of former Italian Prime Minister Aldo Moro, escaped while under surveillance. He was apprehended in Argentina in 2002 after a four-decade-long fugitive status but retained refugee status until 2024.

Local reports suggested Bertulazzi, outfitted with an electronic ankle monitor, slipped out of his fifth-floor window using a harness. Police responded to the property after the monitoring system failed to detect any movement from the ankle tag, discovering the device and confirming the escape, although official verification was lacking.

Argentina had revoked Bertulazzi's refugee status, yet the Federal Criminal Cassation Court granted his defense team's request for continued house arrest due to his advanced age. In July 2023, Argentina authorized his extradition to Italy following the Supreme Court's rejection of a final appeal against the extradition.