Fugitive former member of Italy’s Red Brigades arrested in Argentina
2024.08.30 07:35
BUENOS AIRES (Reuters) -Buenos Aires police have arrested a former Red Brigades member who is wanted by Italy for crimes committed as part of the far-left guerrilla group, the Argentine government said on Thursday.
Leonardo Bertulazzi, who was convicted in Italy of crimes including kidnapping and criminal association and is facing a 27-year jail term, had been in Argentina for years as a refugee, a status he lost under the current administration of President Javier Milei.
“Bertulazzi is responsible for crimes that undermined democratic values and the lives of many victims,” a Argentine government statement said.
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 former Italian Prime Minister and Christian Democrat leader Aldo Moro.
Italian police said Bertulazzi, who has been a fugitive since 1980, was involved in a 1977 kidnapping through which the Red Brigades earned ransom money which was used for the operation against Moro.
Bertulazzi was initially arrested in Buenos Aires in 2002, police said, but he was released a few months later after Argentine authorities refused to extradite him to Italy.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said his latest arrest “was made possible by an intense and fruitful cooperation” between Italy, Argentina and Interpol.
