Leonardo Bertulazzi, a 74-year-old former member of the Italian radical Marxist group the Red Brigades, has escaped from house arrest in Buenos Aires. The Argentine security ministry confirmed the incident on Wednesday, revealing that the fugitive utilized an elaborate plan to evade custody while awaiting extradition to Italy to serve a 27-year prison sentence.
The prison term dates back to 1987, when Bertulazzi was convicted of belonging to an armed group and participating in a subversive association. A key figure during Italy’s turbulent “Years of Lead” between 1969 and 1980, he was linked to the group responsible for the kidnapping and assassination of former prime minister Aldo Moro. Bertulazzi had been on the run for years before his initial arrest in Argentina in 2002. Although he secured refugee status in 2004, that status was later revoked, leading to his subsequent arrest in 2024. But was arrested again in 2024 after it was revoked, he was freed a few months later and secured refugee status in 2004. The group most notoriously kidnapped and assassinated former prime minister Aldo Moro in 1978.
Security footage recorded at 6:01 a.m. on November 10 captured Bertulazzi dropping from his building onto a public road. A detective tracking the case described a sophisticated escape, noting that the former militant removed his electronic ankle monitor and placed it inside a tube of pork, accompanied by a blood pressure monitor intended to simulate body temperature. This allowed the device to continue transmitting false data until police noticed the movement signals had ceased and arrived to find the property empty. The footage, which indicated the time was 6.01am on 10 November, showed a possibly shaken Bertulazzi sitting down to rest for a few moments.
According to investigators, Bertulazzi rappelled from a fifth-floor balcony using a harness. He then climbed onto a roof, lowered himself five meters with a rope, dropped onto a vacant lot, and scaled a metal gate to reach the street. Footage indicates he sat to rest briefly before disappearing.
In July 2025, Argentina’s supreme court finalized the approval of his extradition to Italy after rejecting his final appeal. In response to his flight, the Argentine security ministry has issued a $13,000 reward for information leading to his recapture.
