BUENOS AIRES – Argentine authorities have arrested Leonardo Bertulazzi, a man wanted in Italy for his involvement with the far-left militant group the Red Brigades.
After nearly 44 years on the run, the 72-year-old fugitive now faces extradition to Italy, where he has been sentenced in absentia to 27 years in prison for his role in a high-profile kidnapping.
Bertulazzi was convicted for his participation in the abduction of Pietro Costa, a naval engineer from a wealthy ship-owning family in Genoa.
The kidnapping, which occurred in the late 1970s, was part of a broader campaign of political violence in Italy, known as the “Years of Lead,” during which far-left and far-right extremist groups terrorized the country.
The Red Brigades, a Marxist guerrilla organization, carried out numerous kidnappings, assassinations, and bombings during this period, targeting state officials and figures of authority.
Pietro Costa was kidnapped on the streets of Genoa and held captive for 81 days by the Red Brigades’ Genoa section, to which Bertulazzi belonged. The militants eventually received a substantial ransom in exchange for Costa’s release.
According to Italian authorities, the money from Costa’s ransom was later used to purchase an apartment in Rome that played a key role in the group’s most notorious crime – the kidnapping and murder of former Italian Prime Minister Aldo Moro.
Aldo Moro was abducted in 1978 when his car was ambushed on the way to the opening of parliament. The Red Brigades held Moro in the Rome apartment for 54 days before he was killed.
His body was found in the trunk of a Renault car abandoned in the center of Rome. The assassination of Moro remains one of the darkest chapters in Italy’s modern history and is often cited as the defining moment of the Red Brigades’ reign of terror.
Bertulazzi managed to evade capture for decades, even after he was first arrested by Buenos Aires police in 2002. At that time, he had reportedly entered Argentina from Chile using a false passport.
However, his extradition to Italy was blocked, and he was released from custody within months. In 2004, Bertulazzi was granted refugee status by Argentine authorities, further complicating Italian efforts to bring him to justice.
The tides turned recently when Argentina’s right-wing president, Javier Milei, revoked Bertulazzi’s refugee status, paving the way for his arrest.
In a statement released by the government of Buenos Aires, officials declared that Bertulazzi was responsible for crimes that “undermined democratic values and the lives of many victims.”
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni praised the Buenos Aires authorities for apprehending Bertulazzi and acknowledged the “intense and fruitful collaboration” between Italian and Argentine officials, with the assistance of Interpol.
“This arrest brings us one step closer to justice for the victims of the Red Brigades,” Meloni said. Despite the arrest, Bertulazzi’s lawyers have lodged an appeal with Argentina’s national commission for refugees (Conare) in an attempt to block his extradition to Italy.
The legal battle may draw out his return to his home country, where other members of the Red Brigades have evaded extradition through similar legal channels.
Attempts by Italy to secure the extradition of former Red Brigades militants residing in France have been repeatedly thwarted by the courts.
For now, Bertulazzi remains in custody in Buenos Aires as legal proceedings move forward. His case has reignited memories of Italy’s turbulent past and the enduring struggle to bring justice to the victims of the Red Brigades’ violent campaign.