Italian terrorist escapes from house arrest in Buenos Aires; $20 million reward offered
Leonardo Bertulazzi, a former member of the Red Brigades convicted of 27 years for terrorism, fled from a fifth-floor apartment in Buenos Aires using ropes and a harness.
Italian terrorist escapes from Buenos Aires with ropes; $20 million reward
Leonardo Bertulazzi, 74 years old, an Italian citizen and former member of the Red Brigades, fled on Tuesday from an apartment at Defensa street, number 600, where he was serving house arrest in Buenos Aires, according to canal26.com. Italian courts had sentenced him to 27 years in prison for crimes related to terrorism.
To escape, Bertulazzi used ropes and a harness to descend across neighbouring balconies from the fifth floor, crossed an empty lot and jumped over a gate until he reached the public street. Investigators also determined that he had tampered with the electronic ankle bracelet he was wearing to prevent the system from detecting his departure. The Federal Police immediately launched a search operation and began analysing security camera footage to reconstruct his route.
Bertulazzi was a member of the Genoa column of the Red Brigades, known as "28 of March", and operated under the alias "Stéfano". His activity in the far-left armed organisation took place during the so-called "Years of Lead", the period of political violence that shook Italy in the 1970s and 1980s. Italian courts convicted him—in sentences handed down in absentia during the 1980s—for his membership in the organisation and for his participation in terrorist activities, including the kidnapping of businessman Pietro Costa in 1977. The consolidated sentence was set at 27 years. His name was also linked to logistical tasks in the framework of the kidnapping and murder of former Italian prime minister Aldo Moro in 1978, although this allegation should be distinguished from the crimes for which he was actually convicted.
Bertulazzi entered Argentina in 2002 after travelling through several Latin American countries whilst remaining a fugitive from Italian justice. That same year he was detained at Rome's request, but the extradition request was initially rejected for reasons related to the procedural guarantees of the sentences handed down in absentia. In 2004 he obtained recognition as a refugee, which allowed him to remain legally in the country.
The situation changed in August 2024, when Argentine authorities withdrew that protection and the Federal Police arrested him again in Buenos Aires. In July 2025, the Supreme Court of Justice approved his extradition to Italy. However, Bertulazzi remained under house arrest whilst procedures relating to his transfer were being carried out.
Following the escape, the National Security Ministry formalised a reward of $20 million through Resolution 1168/2026, published on 11 November in the Official Gazette. The measure is aimed at those who provide useful information to locate and arrest him. Anyone with information about his whereabouts can contact the number 134 free of charge, the line of the National Rewards Programme. The authorities' objective is to achieve his capture so as to advance with the extradition requested by Italy.
Source: Google News AR — Buenos Aires