Former Italian Red Brigades member escapes house arrest in Argentina

Bertulazzi, who belonged to the group’s Genoa branch, was convicted in absentia by an Italian court for his role in the 1978 kidnapping and death of former Prime Minister Aldo Moro, a crime for which he received a combined 27-year sentence.

He was first arrested in Buenos Aires in November 2002, but an Argentine judge rejected Italy’s extradition request in 2003 because Italian law did not guarantee him a new trial after a conviction in absentia. He was granted refugee status in 2004.

Argentina revoked his refugee status in 2024 under President Javier Milei and re-arrested him that August. Its Supreme Court approved his extradition last year.

Police said he descended onto the second-floor terrace of a neighbouring house, climbed down to a first-floor terrace, crossed a vacant lot and got onto the street by climbing over a gate.

Authorities did not immediately notice Bertulazzi was gone as he had tampered with his electronic ankle monitor. They said he placed it inside a device containing a thermal blanket to maintain its temperature, along with grease or animal fat, apparently to keep moisture in.

Explosives specialists examined the device, which had been made to resemble an explosive.

Argentina’s Security Ministry has offered a reward of 20 million pesos (about $13,000) for information leading to his capture.

Historical context

The Red Brigades were a far-left armed group responsible for a wave of kidnappings and killings in Italy in the 1970s and 1980s, a period known as the “Years of Lead”.