Italian former leftist
terrorist Cesare Battisti travelled to Sao Paulo to meet his
lawyers Tuesday and will return to a district of Cananeia where
he lives in the coming days, his lawyer Igor Tamasauskas told
ANSA Wednesday.
The lawyer was responding to media reports that the former
terrorist had done a bunk.
In a series of messages ot ANSA's Sao Paulo office,
Tamasauskas said that after Tuesday's meeting Battisti "told me
he was going to visit some friends and then go back to Cananeia,
without giving me a precise date".
Turin daily La Stampa reported Wednesday that Battisti has
been missing in Brazil since the election of new President Jair
Bolsonaro, who has vowed to return him to Italy.
"Nobody has seen him since last Monday", the paper reported,
saying Battisti could have left his home after the election of
Bolsonaro, a far-right politician who has promised to extradite
Battisti.
Battisti is wanted to serve out several life sentences for
murders in the so-called 'Years of Lead' of leftist and rightist
terrorism.
The Turin daily quoted some of Battisti's neighbors as saying
that they last saw him on Sunday.
"He was very angry and concerned", according to witnesses
interviewed by La Stampa at a bar near his home in the
residential district of Carijo, close to downtown Cananeia.
Battisti was reportedly finishing to refurbish his home,
where he had moved in April.
Another friend was quoted by La Stampa as saying that
Battisti wanted to "face the consequences" and that he is "tired
of fleeing".
Battisti, whose extradition was formerly halted by
ex-president Luis Ignacio Lula da Silva, has always denied
committing murder.
The director of the tribunal of Cananeia, Anderson
Nascimento, said Battisti is free to move in Brazil as there is
no measure against his free circulation.
Milan daily Il Giornale also reported local police sources as
confirming that Battisti has left the area.
On Monday, Italian Deputy Premier and Interior Minister
Matteo Salvini said he was ready to go to Brazil and get
Battisti if Bolsonaro decided to extradite him to Italy as
promised.
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