Argentina arrests man accused of links to 1978 killing by leftwing terror group

(CNN) — Authorities in Argentina have arrested a man on decades-old allegations of involvement in a militant Marxist group responsible for the 1978 kidnapping and death of a former Italian prime minister, according to a government statement.

Leonardo Bertulazzi, identified in the statement as an Italian citizen, had been living in the country under refugee status since 2002. That status, which protected him from extradition to Italy, was revoked under the administration of Argentina’s current president Javier Milei.

He was arrested in Argentina’s capital city, Buenos Aires, on Thursday, according to the statement. It also described Bertulazzi as a former officer of the Red Brigades in Italy, a leftist militant group that operated in Italy from 1970 to 1980, gaining infamy for violent attacks in the country.

“Among the group’s most notorious crimes is the kidnapping and subsequent murder of former Italian Prime Minister Aldo Moro in 1978. Bertulazzi, who held a high rank within the organization, was linked to the logistics of Moro’s kidnapping,” it said.

CNN is trying to find out from Argentinian police whether Bertulazzi has legal defense and his response to the charges against him.

Bertulazzi was previously sentenced in Italy to 27 years in prison on terror charges, according to a statement by Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni welcoming the arrest.

“The arrest of this fugitive member of the Red Brigades was made possible thanks to intense and fruitful collaboration between the Italian and Argentine judicial authorities and Interpol,” Meloni said.

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