Fugitive former far-left guerrilla arrested in Argentina after decades

Leonardo Bertulazzi has been wanted by Italian authorities for decades

Leonardo Bertulazzi, 72, is facing a 27-year prison sentence in Italy (Argentina's Security Ministry/AF)

A fugitive former member of a far-left militant group wanted in Italy for crimes including a high-profile kidnapping has finally been arrested in Argentina.

Leonardo Bertulazzi, who was a member of the Marxist guerrilla group Red Brigades, was arrested in Buenos Aeries this week and could now face a 27-year prison sentence in Italy.

He was sentenced in absentia in Italy in the 1970s for his role in the abduction of Pietro Costa, a wealthy engineer, who Italian authorities was leveraged to earn money used for the killing of former Italian prime minister Aldo Moro.

The 72-year-old was initially arrested by Argentine police in 2002 after entering the country from Chile, but was later released and given refugee status in 2004.

Mr Bertulazzi lived in the country for years but lost his status as a refugee soon after President Javier Milei came to power in December 2023.

The 72-year-old was initially arrested by Argentine police in 2002 after entering the country from Chile with a false passport (AP)

The Red Brigades were a radical left-wing group that operated in Italy during the 1970s and 1980s when they became known for committing terrorist crimes, including the kidnapping and killing in 1978 of Mr Moro.

Mr Moro was abducted when his car was ambushed by the group on the way to the opening of parliament in Rome.

He was held in the flat for 54 days before he was shot and his body was abandoned in the boot of a Renault car in the centre of the Italian capital.

According to Italian investigators, the operation was funded by ransom money obtained through Mr Costa’s abduction.

Initially, a ransom of 10bn lire (£4.3m) was demanded, but negotiations with the Costa family led to a reduction of the demand to 1.5bn lire (£650,000).

Mr Bertulazzi’s refugee status was revoked by Argentina’s right-wing president Javier Milei soon after he came to power in 2023 (AP)

That period of political violence became known as “Years of Lead” because of a string of far-left and far-right crimes.

An Argentine government statement said: “Bertulazzi is responsible for crimes that undermined democratic values and the lives of many victims.”

Italian prime minister Giorgia Meloni said that his arrest “was made possible by an intense and fruitful cooperation” between Italy, Argentina and Interpol.

Reuters contributed to this report.