An Italian former communist militant captured
in Bolivia is on a plane back to Rome, officials
have confirmed.
Cesare Battisti, 64, is wanted for four murders in Italy during the 1970s, which he denies committing. He was extradited after being found in Santa Cruz de
La Sierra in an international police operation. After escaping from prison in Italy, Battisti lived for
years in Brazil but vanished after an arrest warrant
was issued last month. Italian Interior Minister Matteo Salvini confirmed that
Battisti had been handed over to Italian authorities
and a chartered plane had departed from Bolivia. "The plane carrying Cesare Battisti has just taken off
headed for Italy. I am proud and moved," he tweeted. Battisti is expected to arrive in Rome on Monday
afternoon. In a message on Facebook ahead of Battisti's
extradition, Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte said:
"We are satisfied with this result that our country has
been awaiting for too many years." He thanked the Bolivian authorities and singled out
Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro for his "effective co-
operation" that led to Battisti's capture. The far-right Brazilian leader, who took office on 1
January, had pledged to extradite Battisti. How was he arrested? Battisti was arrested by a special Interpol team on
Saturday around 17:00 (21:00 GMT) on a street of the
central Bolivian city of Santa Cruz. He was alone, wearing sunglasses and a fake beard,
according to Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera. He did not resist or try to escape. Bolivian Interior
Minister Carlos Romero said Battisti had entered
Bolivia illegally. Italian police published a video on Twitter that
purports to show him moments before his arrest. Report Battisti spent years in Brazil as a refugee, with the
support of former left-wing President Luiz Inácio Lula
da Silva. But Lula's successor, President Michel Temer, revoked
his status as a permanent resident in December, when
an arrest warrant was issued. Battisti, who has a five-year-old Brazilian son, told AFP
last year he would face "torture" and death if he
returned to Italy. In December, Brazil's Federal Police had released a
picture showing possible disguises that Battisti might
use. Brazilian politician Eduardo Bolsonaro, one of the
president's sons, tweeted to Italy's interior minister
Matteo Salvini: "Brazil is no longer a land of bandits. The 'little gift' is coming." The prison escapee who writes police novels In 1979, Battisti was convicted of belonging to a far-
left terrorist group outlawed in Italy - the Armed
Proletarians for Communism (PAC). He escaped from
prison in 1981. Later, he was convicted in absentia for killing two
Italian law officials, for taking part in a separate
murder, and for planning another which left the
victim's 14-year-old son in a wheelchair after a shoot-
out. Battisti has admitted being part of the PAC but denies
responsibility for the murders. Since his escape, he has gone on to became a
successful writer of police novels. Battisti lived in France and Mexico before escaping to
Brazil to avoid being extradited. He was arrested by
Brazilian authorities in 2007, prompting the Italian
government to request his extradition under an
existing bilateral treaty. But Brazil's then President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva
granted Battisti refugee status in 2010, a move that
drew strong criticism from Italy. Battisti was arrested again in 2017 for carrying a large amount of undeclared cash whilst trying to cross
into Bolivia from Brazil. Mr Bolsonaro made his intentions clear in October 2018, tweeting (in Portuguese and Italian): "Here I reaffirm my commitment to extradite the terrorist Cesare Battisti, loved by the Brazilian
left... "We will show the world our total repudiation and
commitment to the fight against terrorism. Brazil
deserves respect!"