sequestratore

Sequestratore is the Italian term for a person who commits sequestration, typically the act of kidnapping or unlawfully detaining another person. The designation is used in legal and journalistic contexts to identify the offender in cases of sequestro di persona. The feminine form is sequestratrice.

Etymology and sense-making: the word derives from the verb sequestrare, meaning to seize and hold someone in confinement. In everyday language, a sequestratore is someone who exercises unlawful control over another person, often with the aim of obtaining a ransom, concessions, or other demands. The term can apply to individuals or, in extended sense, to groups engaged in kidnapping operations.

Legal context: in criminal law, sequestro di persona refers to the unlawful deprivation of liberty of a person. The perpetrator is described as the sequestratore. Depending on the jurisdiction and circumstances, related charges may include extortion, violence, or threats, and penalties vary accordingly. The distinction between sequestratore and related terms such as rapitore or ostaggio centers on emphasis: sequestratore highlights the act of seizing and detaining, while rapitore is a more general term for a kidnapper.

Usage and scope: the term is common in police reports, court documents, and media coverage of kidnapping cases. It can apply to isolated incidents or to serial offenders, and it may be used for both male and, in the feminine form, female perpetrators (sequestratrice).

See also: sequestrazione, sequestro di persona, rapimento, ostaggio.