Cesare Battisti, a former leftist militant wanted in Italy for murders has been arrested in Bolivia and will be handed over to Brazil for extradition, an aide to the Brazilian president has said, Trend reported citing Sputnik.
“Italian terrorist Cesare Battisti was arrested in Bolivia this night [Saturday] and will soon be brought to Brazil, from where he will probably be taken to Italy,” Filipe Martins tweeted.
Brazilian media said the 64-year-old is wanted in Italy on four murder charges committed in the 1970s as part of an outlawed terrorist group. An Italian court gave him a life sentence in absentia in 1993.
Battisti was arrested in Brazil in 2007 and in 2017 but attempts to get him extradited failed. Then-Brazilian President Luis Inacio Lula da Silva granted him political refugee status. Incumbent Jair Bolsonaro vowed to hand Battisti over to Italy during his presidential campaign.
Italian Interior Minister Matteo Salvini on Sunday praised the new Brazilian government, national law enforcement agencies and the Interpol for catching Battisti, in a statement on Facebook, and promised the extremist would spend the rest of his life in jail.