FBI Arrests D.C. Kidnapping Suspect in Seattle Suburb

The Georgetown kidnapping saga has an ending, but remains quite an odd story.

Paolo Aldorasi, a 34-year-old man from London, United Kingdom, was arrested Feb. 24 by the FBI in a Seattle suburb and charged with one count of kidnapping. The kidnapping of a Georgetown University student near its main campus on O Street NW took place Jan. 26. The victim was released unharmed the same day.

According to the Washington Post, Aldorasi “was ordered detained at a court hearing Monday and has a detention hearing set for Thursday [March 2].

“Authorities allege that Aldorasi abducted the student from a street near campus Jan. 26 and forced him in the span of two hours to visit four banks, a Best Buy in the District and a Cartier store in Maryland. In each case, the FBI said in a criminal complaint, the victim’s bank card was rejected, denying attempts to withdraw $200 and $500 and to buy an iPhone 7 and a $6,300 bracelet.

“Aldorasi’s attorney with the Federal Public Defender’s Office did not return calls Tuesday seeking comment.”

The FBI used social media to track the London man, according to WTOP. Aldorasi posted a video to a social media account that linked him to a car rental.

The following is what The Georgetowner previously reported.

Metropolitan Police reports about what can be called a weird, two-hour alleged kidnapping of a Georgetown University student — also involving the attempted robbery of several stores — took place last Thursday, Jan. 26.

Neither the student nor the alleged kidnapper has been identified publicly. Photos from what appear to be bank ATM and store surveillance cameras show the pair standing and sitting together. They don’t appear to be unfriendly.

The dark-haired, mustached man looks dapper in a black suit and black shoes. He reportedly stopped his car somewhere on the 3400 block of O Street NW and forced the student inside. The area is just two blocks from the university campus and steps from the homes of former Secretaries of State Madeleine Albright and John Kerry, who, until last week, were guarded 24/7 by a phalanx of Secret Service agents in big, black SUVs.

After being abducted, the student was supposedly forced to go to various bank ATM machines to get cash (unsuccessfully, apparently), then to several high-end jewelry and other stores to use the student’s credit card to make purchases. Video stills show the two looking at display cases and sitting at what looks like a salesperson’s desk.

But the student’s bank and credit cards were denied. Reportedly, after two hours the man fled in his car. “This appears to be a highly unusual kidnapping from the actions of the suspect and victim,” Advisory Neighborhood Commission member Ed Solomon told The Georgetowner, quoting local police officials.

It is not clear when the student reported the incident. The police reports state he was not injured. According to the police, the student also said he did not see the man display a weapon, nor could he identify exactly the make, model or license-plate number of the car.