Italian Red Brigades member escapes house arrest in Argentina

Summarised from 4 outlets · 5 reports · Updated 13 Nov, 10:59 · Archive

A 74-year-old former member of Italy's Red Brigades escaped from house arrest in Buenos Aires by abseiling from a fifth-floor apartment.

Leonardo Bertulazzi, 74, a former member of Italy's Red Brigades, escaped from house arrest in Buenos Aires on Tuesday while awaiting extradition to Italy. He used a harness and rope to abseil from a fifth-floor apartment in the capital's San Telmo neighbourhood. After reaching a neighbouring property's second-floor terrace, he climbed down to the first floor, crossed a vacant lot and scaled a metal gate to reach the street.

Bertulazzi had been under house arrest since 2024, when his refugee status in Argentina was revoked. He faced extradition to Italy to serve a 27-year prison sentence. The Argentine supreme court rejected his final appeal in July 2025, and Italian media reported that extradition was imminent.

Authorities did not immediately detect his escape because Bertulazzi had tampered with his electronic ankle monitor. He wrapped the device in a thermal blanket containing pork fat and left it next to a heating pad, apparently to maintain its temperature and moisture readings while he was gone. When officials became suspicious after noticing the monitor had remained stationary, they entered the apartment to find only the discarded device.

Police called in explosives experts because of Bertulazzi's history with the Red Brigades and his bomb-making skills. However, they found that while he had altered the device to prevent alarms from sounding when removed, he had not rigged it to detonate.

Bertulazzi was first arrested in Argentina in 2002 after crossing from Chile using a false passport. He was freed months later and gained refugee status in 2004 before his arrest again in 2024. He was convicted in absentia in Italy in 1987 for joining a subversive association and belonging to an armed group, specifically for his role in a 1977 kidnapping.

The Red Brigades was a far-left militant group responsible for a wave of kidnappings and killings in Italy during the 1970s and 1980s, a period known as the "Years of Lead". The group's most notorious act was the 1978 kidnapping and killing of former prime minister Aldo Moro. Argentine authorities have said Bertulazzi belonged to the group's Genoa branch and was involved in the logistics of Moro's kidnapping.

Argentina's security ministry offered a reward of 20 million pesos (about $13,000) for information leading to Bertulazzi's capture. A nationwide search was underway as of Wednesday.

How it is being reported

• One of world’s most wanted terrorists, 74, escapes house arrest by abseiling from flatHandout photo released by Argentina’s Security Minister of Italian Leonardo Bertulazzi, being arrested by Argentine Federal Police in 2024 (Picture: AFP via Getty) One of the world’s most wanted terrorists is on the run after taking advantage of Pope Leo ’s Argentina visit to mount a daring escape…Metro · 13 Nov, 10:50
• Pork fat, a heating pad and a five-storey jump: how a 74-year-old escaped house arrest in ArgentinaLeonardo Bertulazzi, ex-member of Italy’s radical far-left Red Brigades, fled in dramatic fashion, ‘like something out of a movie’ As dozens of police and sniffer dogs poured into San Telmo, a traditional Buenos Aires neighbourhood with cobblestone streets, on Tuesday morning, one of the clerks at a shop selling dulce de leche asked them why. He said they were “looking for a bomb”. It was only later that she found out there was no danger of being blown up after all, and that authorities were, in fact, hunting for a fugitive. “An Italian mafioso, right?” she asked. Continue reading...The Guardian · 12 Nov, 19:52
• Former Italian Red Brigades member escapes house arrest in ArgentinaBertulazzi used a rope and harness to climb down from a fifth-floor apartment and evade authorities in Argentina.Al Jazeera · 12 Nov, 01:04
• Ex-member of radical Marxist group scales balcony, escapes house arrest in Argentina74-year-old Leonardo Bertulazzi, awaiting extradition to Italy, reportedly used harness to flee custody A 74-year-old former member of Italy ’s radical Marxist group the Red Brigades has escaped from house arrest in Argentina , the country’s security ministry confirmed on Wednesday. Authorities placed Leonardo Bertulazzi under house arrest in Buenos Aires in 2024, prior to his extradition to Italy to serve a 27-year prison sentence. Continue reading...Guardian World · 11 Nov, 19:00
• Kidnapper, 74, escapes from house arrest in Argentina by abseiling from balconyLeonardo Bertulazzi, a former member of the Marxist guerrilla group the Red Brigades, was about to be extradited to his home country of Italy.BBC World · 11 Nov, 14:56

In this story: Leonardo Bertulazzi · Red Brigades · Italy · Argentina · Buenos Aires · Aldo Moro · Pietro Costa · Javier Milei

This summary was written by AI from the headlines and standfirsts above, and states as fact only what at least two outlets report. How we use AI · Report a problem · Corrections log