Former Italian Red Brigades member escapes house arrest in Argentina while awaiting extradition

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) — A 74-year-old Italian convicted of terrorism-related crimes for his involvement in a far-left militant group escaped house arrest in Buenos Aires by descending from a fifth-floor apartment using a harness and rope, prompting a nationwide search as he awaited extradition to Italy.Leonardo Bertulazzi, a former member of Italy’s Red Brigades, was under house arrest after Argentina’s Supreme Court approved his extradition last year to serve a 27-year prison sentence in Italy.Bertulazzi used ropes and a harness to descend from the fifth floor onto the second-floor terrace of a neighboring house Tuesday, police officials told The Associated Press. 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. He remained on the run on Wednesday.Authorities did not immediately detect his escape after he tampered with his electronic ankle monitor. The police officials said that Bertulazzi pl