Leonardo Bertulazzi, a 74-year-old former operative of Italy’s radical Marxist group the Red Brigades, has successfully escaped from house arrest in Argentina. The country’s security ministry confirmed the breakout on Wednesday, detailing an unusual method of escape that involved hiding his electronic tracking device inside a tube of pork.
Bertulazzi was placed under house arrest in Buenos Aires in 2024 while awaiting his extradition to Italy. He is scheduled to serve a 27-year prison sentence for his role in the organization. The original conviction dates back to 1987, when he was found guilty of joining a subversive association and belonging to an armed group.
His legal journey in Argentina has been marked by several reversals. After spending years on the run, he was first apprehended by local authorities in 2002. Although he was released a few months later and granted refugee status in 2004, his protection was eventually revoked. This led to his re-arrest in 2024, placing him back under strict detention protocols.
In response to the escape, the Argentine security ministry announced a reward of $13,000 for information that leads to the recapture of the fugitive. The bounty reflects the urgency with which officials are seeking to locate him before he can leave the country.
The Red Brigades, of which Bertulazzi held a senior position, were responsible for a series of attacks between 1969 and 1980, a period known in Italy as the Years of Lead. The group is perhaps most infamous for the 1978 kidnapping and assassination of former prime minister Aldo Moro, an event that deeply affected Italian politics.
Security footage captured the moment of the escape, showing Bertulazzi dropping from a building directly into a public road while cars drove past. The video, timestamped at 6:01 am on November 10, depicts the former member appearing shaken as he sits down to rest briefly after the descent.
A detective tracking the case provided specific details to the publication La Nación, explaining the mechanics of the escape. According to the official, Bertulazzi first removed his electronic ankle monitor and concealed it in a tube filled with pork. He also included a blood pressure monitor in the package to help maintain the temperature of the meat, likely to mask the device's signals or preserve the contents.
The detective further described how Bertulazzi climbed onto the roof and used a rope to rappel down five meters. He landed in a vacant lot behind his residence and then scaled a metal gate to reach the street, effectively vanishing from view.
Police discovered the absence of the fugitive when the ankle monitor stopped transmitting movement data. Officers rushed to the house and found the discarded device but no sign of Bertulazzi. The escape marks a significant development in his case, as Argentina’s supreme court rejected his final appeal in July 2025, formally approving his extradition to Italy.
