One of world’s most wanted terrorists, 74, escapes house arrest by abseiling from flat

Detailed summary

Leonardo Bertulazzi was hours away from being flown to Italy to serve 27 years in prison there for being a member of the Red Brigades.

One of the world’s most wanted terrorists is on the run after taking advantage of Pope Leo’s Argentina visit to mount a daring escape from house arrest.

Leonardo Bertulazzi was hours away from being flown to Italy to serve 27 years in prison there for being a member of the Red Brigades.

The far-left militant group terrified Italy throughout the 1970s and 1980s with a spate of kidnappings and killings, including former prime minister Aldo Moro.

While the police were busy handling the crowds of millions lining the streets to greet Pope Leo XIV, 74-year-old Bertulazzi launched an escape plan worthy of Hollywood.

He cut off his electronic ankle monitor, greased it up and stuffed it inside a thermal blanket to mimic his body temperature and moisture.

After that, he used ropes and a harness to quietly lower himself from his fifth-floor apartment to a neighbour’s second-floor terrace.

From there, he climbed down to a first-floor terrace, made his way to a vacant lot and escaped onto the street by climbing over a gate.

One investigator told the Argentinian daily La Nación: ‘To think that he was under house arrest because, supposedly, he had suffered a stroke.’

Argentine authorities have said Bertulazzi was involved in the Genoa branch of the Red Brigades and helped plan Moro’s kidnapping.

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