In short
- Leonardo Bertulazzi, 74, escaped house arrest in Buenos Aires by abseiling from a fifth-floor balcony using a harness.
- Bertulazzi was sentenced in absentia in Italy for the 1977 kidnapping of naval engineer Pietro Costa, who was held for 81 days.
- He tampered with his electronic ankle monitor so that it kept transmitting body temperature readings after he removed it and left.
- Argentina granted Bertulazzi refugee status in 2004; he was re-arrested in 2024 after Javier Milei became president.
- Money from the Costa kidnapping was used to buy a Rome flat where the Red Brigades held former prime minister Aldo Moro for 54 days in 1978.
Leonardo Bertulazzi, a 74-year-old Italian convicted in absentia over a 1977 kidnapping, has escaped house arrest in Buenos Aires by abseiling from a fifth-floor balcony with a harness, Argentine officials say. A nationwide manhunt is under way and his extradition to Italy had been imminent.
How did Leonardo Bertulazzi escape house arrest?
Bertulazzi used a harness to descend from the balcony of the fifth-floor apartment in the centre of Buenos Aires, officials said. He had prised open the electronic ankle tag he was wearing and tampered with it so that it kept transmitting body temperature measurements after he had gone.
The Argentine ministry of security, which monitored the device, became suspicious when the tag’s readings showed it had remained stationary. Officers who entered the apartment found the monitor but no sign of Bertulazzi.
Why did police call in explosives experts?
Officers called in explosives specialists before entering the property because of Bertulazzi’s past with the Marxist guerrilla group the Red Brigades and his bomb-making skills, Argentine newspaper Clarín reported. The experts found the device had been altered to stop an alarm from sounding once it was removed, not to detonate.
What was Leonardo Bertulazzi convicted of?
An Italian court sentenced Bertulazzi in absentia for the 1977 kidnapping of Italian naval engineer Pietro Costa. He was part of the Red Brigades’ Genoa section, which seized Costa in the street and held him for 81 days before receiving a large ransom.
The group used that money to buy a flat in Rome where, in 1978, it held former Italian prime minister Aldo Moro for 54 days before shooting him and leaving his body in the boot of a Renault in the centre of Rome.
How long had Bertulazzi been in Argentina?
Bertulazzi was first arrested in 2002, after crossing into Argentina from neighbouring Chile on a false passport. Argentina granted him refugee status in 2004 and he lived freely in the country until his re-arrest in 2024, when Javier Milei took office as president. Milei’s government said at the time that “Bertulazzi is responsible for crimes that undermined democratic values and the lives of many victims”.
Is Leonardo Bertulazzi still at large?
Argentine police have launched a nationwide manhunt. Italian media reported that his extradition to Italy had become imminent after his last appeal was rejected.
Security forces in Latin America have carried out high-profile operations against criminal groups. In El Salvador, President Nayib Bukele said the military had destroyed the headquarters of the 400 Mawozo gang.
In Europe, some prosecutions have ended without a trial. Polish police said the suspect in a Krakow shooting died in hospital after the attack.
Frequently asked questions
Who is Leonardo Bertulazzi?
Leonardo Bertulazzi is a 74-year-old Italian who was sentenced in absentia in Italy for the 1977 kidnapping of naval engineer Pietro Costa as part of the Red Brigades’ Genoa section. He was living in Argentina and awaiting extradition when he escaped house arrest in Buenos Aires.
How did Bertulazzi get out of the apartment?
He used a harness to abseil from a fifth-floor balcony in central Buenos Aires. Before leaving, he tampered with his electronic ankle monitor so that it kept sending body temperature readings and did not trigger an alarm.
Why was he under house arrest in Argentina?
Bertulazzi was re-arrested in 2024, after Javier Milei became president, and was held while Italy sought his extradition. Italian media reported that the extradition had become imminent after his final appeal was rejected.
Are police still searching for Bertulazzi?
Yes. Argentine authorities have launched a nationwide manhunt after finding the ankle monitor in the empty apartment but no trace of Bertulazzi.
With reporting from BBC News.
Stock image, not from the events described. Globe World — Jo%E3o%20Silas / Wikimedia Commons (CC0 1.0)