Leonardo Bertulazzi, a former member of Italy’s Red Brigades, has escaped house arrest in Buenos Aires while awaiting extradition to Italy.
Bertulazzi, 74, used a harness to descend from a fifth-floor balcony, according to BBC. His escape on Tuesday prompted a search, and he remained at large on Wednesday, Argentine police officials said.
Officials said the escape was not immediately detected because Bertulazzi had tampered with his electronic ankle monitor. Police went to the apartment after noticing that the device had stopped transmitting movement data and found it there without him.
Argentina’s security ministry offered a reward of 20 million pesos, about $13,000, for information leading to his capture. The Guardian reported that Argentina’s Supreme Court approved his extradition in 2025 after rejecting a final appeal.
Bertulazzi had been arrested in Argentina in 2002 and granted refugee status in 2004. He was arrested again in 2024 after that status was revoked. He was awaiting extradition to serve a 27-year sentence in Italy.
