Leonardo Bertulazzi, a 74-year-old Italian man convicted of a kidnapping by a far-left militant group in the 1970s, has escaped from house arrest in Argentina. The fugitive abseiled down from a fifth-floor balcony in Buenos Aires, leaving authorities to conduct a nationwide manhunt for the former member of the Red Brigades.

The escape was not detected immediately because Bertulazzi had tampered with his electronic ankle monitor. Although he prised the device open and fled, he managed to keep it transmitting body temperature measurements. Officials only became suspicious when they noticed the tag had remained stationary for an extended period, prompting them to enter his apartment in the city center.

Upon entering the residence, police found that Bertulazzi was gone, but the ankle monitor was left behind. Given his history with the Marxist guerilla group and his known bomb-making skills, authorities called in explosives experts. According to the Argentine newspaper Clarín, the experts were concerned the device might have been rigged to detonate. However, they determined that Bertulazzi had only modified the tag to prevent the alarm from sounding when he removed it.

Bertulazzi was awaiting extradition to Italy after his last appeal was rejected. Italian media reported that the transfer was imminent. He had been under the supervision of the Argentine ministry of security, which monitored his movements and body temperature through the electronic tag. He was sentenced in absentia in Italy for the 1977 kidnapping of Pietro Costa, an Italian naval engineer.

The fugitive first entered Argentina from Chile in 2002 using a false passport. He was granted refugee status in 2004 and lived freely in the country for nearly two decades. His freedom ended in 2024 when he was re-arrested following the inauguration of current right-wing president Javier Milei. At the time of his re-arrest, Milei’s government stated that Bertulazzi was responsible for crimes that undermined democratic values and the lives of many victims.

Bertulazzi was part of the Genoa section of the Red Brigades. This group kidnapped Costa on the street and held him for 81 days before securing a significant ransom. The money obtained from this kidnapping was used to purchase a flat in Rome. That property later played a central role in the Red Brigades’ most notorious crime in 1978, the kidnapping and murder of former Italian Prime Minister Aldo Moro.

Moro was abducted when his car was ambushed on the way to the opening of parliament. He was held captive in the Rome flat for 54 days before being shot. His body was subsequently abandoned in the boot of a Renault car in the center of the city. The Red Brigades kidnapped and killed several state officials during the 1970s and 1980s, cementing their reputation as one of the most active militant groups in Italy during that era.

The details of Bertulazzi’s escape highlight the challenges faced by authorities in monitoring high-profile fugitives. The fact that he could maintain the appearance of compliance while preparing his exit underscores his tactical approach. Police are now searching for him across Argentina, hoping to locate the former militant before he can cross another border. The case has drawn significant attention from both Italian and Argentine media, who are closely following the developments in the manhunt.

Bertulazzi’s long history as a fugitive began after his initial sentencing in Italy. He spent decades on the run before his eventual capture in 2002. His period of freedom in Argentina allowed him to blend into local life, a situation that changed with the political shift under the Milei administration. The current escape has reignited debates about the handling of international fugitives and the effectiveness of electronic monitoring devices in preventing such dramatic breaks in custody.