74-year-old former Marxist guerrilla escapes house arrest in Argentina by abseiling

Leonardo Bertulazzi, a 74-year-old former member of Italy's radical Marxist group the Red Brigades, escaped from house arrest in Buenos Aires, Argentina, the country's security ministry confirmed, according to The Guardian.

Bertulazzi was under house arrest since 2024 as he awaited extradition to Italy to serve a 27-year prison sentence related to a 1977 kidnapping, BBC reported.

He used a harness to abseil down from a fifth-floor balcony to flee custody. His electronic ankle monitor, which registered body temperature and movements, was tampered with to continue transmitting false data after his escape, delaying detection.

Authorities became suspicious when the ankle monitor's data remained stationary. Upon entering the apartment, they found Bertulazzi gone but the device remained. Due to his history and bomb-making skills, explosives experts were called to check the device, but it was found safe, Clarín reported.

The escape highlights challenges in monitoring high-risk individuals under house arrest and raises concerns about security protocols ahead of Bertulazzi's pending extradition to Italy.