Bertulazzi escapes house arrest in San Telmo as Interpol releases search appeal
Italian former Red Brigades member Leonardo Bertulazzi, 74, escaped from a fifth-floor apartment in Buenos Aires using a harness. Interpol released four photographs to assist in his apprehension.
Former Red Brigades member flees San Telmo home using harness
Leonardo Bertulazzi, 74, fled on Tuesday from the San Telmo apartment where he was under house arrest whilst awaiting extradition to Italy, according to estasinformado.com.ar. An account of events published indicates he descended from the balcony of the fifth floor using a harness.
The electronic ankle monitor tracking the detainee did not alert authorities in time to the escape. Official sources cited in the coverage indicate that Bertulazzi may have tampered with the device to simulate his presence in the residence. Upon arriving to verify his status, police found the apartment empty and the ankle monitor modified. Federal Police specialists ruled out the possibility that the device contained explosives.
Following confirmation of the escape, federal judge María Servini ordered his immediate detention in order to continue extradition proceedings. The Federal Police resumed their search and reviewed security cameras in the area. Interpol released four recent photographs and requested circulation of them to assist in locating the fugitive.
Italy is seeking Bertulazzi's return to serve a 27-year sentence for the kidnapping of businessman Pietro Costa. He was also a member of the Red Brigades and was linked to the logistics of the kidnapping and murder of former prime minister Aldo Moro in 1978. He was first detained in Buenos Aires in 2002, but was released; in 2024 he was arrested again, after decades as a fugitive in Latin America.
House arrest had been granted to him by the Federal Chamber of Criminal Cassation on account of his age and state of health. In July 2025, the Supreme Court rejected the final appeal presented by his defence against extradition. The coverage also noted that, prior to this escape, Bertulazzi had breached the conditions of his house arrest on other occasions, although in those cases he was recaptured.
Source: Google News AR — Buenos Aires