Ex member of Red Brigades escapes house arrest in Argentina

A 74-year-old ex member of Italy’s radical Marxist Red Brigades group has fled house arrest in Buenos Aires. Leonardo Bertulazzi used a harness to lower himself from a fifth-floor balcony after reportedly concealing his electronic ankle monitor inside a tube filled with pork and a blood pressure monitor to maintain the device's temperature.

Argentina's security ministry confirmed the escape on Wednesday and offered a reward of $13,000 for information leading to his recapture. Security footage captured Bertulazzi dropping onto a public road at 6:01 AM on November 10 as cars passed by, before sitting down briefly to rest. Police discovered the discarded tracking device after noticing it had stopped transmitting data.

Authorities in Buenos Aires had placed Bertulazzi under house arrest in 2024 ahead of his planned extradition to Italy. He was originally sentenced in absentia to 27 years in prison in 1987 for belonging to an armed group and joining a subversive association. The Red Brigades operated between 1969 and 1980 during Italy's turbulent Years of Lead and were responsible for high-profile attacks, including the 1978 kidnapping and murder of former prime minister Aldo Moro.

Leonardo Bertulazzi used a harness and disguised ankle monitor to escape house arrest in Argentina.

Extradition and legal history

Bertulazzi spent years as a fugitive before Argentine authorities initially arrested him in 2002. Although he was released months later and granted refugee status in 2004, that status was revoked, leading to his re-arrest in 2024. Following legal proceedings and a supreme court decision rejecting a final appeal, Argentina officially approved his extradition to Italy in July 2025.

Why it matters

The escape of a high-profile fugitive awaiting international extradition highlights vulnerabilities in electronic monitoring systems and house arrest protocols. The incident temporarily halts efforts to bring a veteran member of a notorious militant group to justice, raising questions about custody security in high-profile criminal cases.