Man Who Went Missing as Teen Is Found Alive Near Home, 61-Year-Old Neighbor Arrested
Editor’s Note: Our readers responded strongly to this story when it originally ran; we’re reposting it here in case you missed it.
A man who went missing 26 years ago has been found shockingly close to his childhood home.
Algeria’s Ministry of Justice revealed that Omar bin Omran had been located, according to a May 16 report by Al Jazeera.
Omran disappeared in 1998 amid Algeria’s civil war between Islamist factions and the country’s government.
In a twist, the missing man — now 45 years old — was found in a hidden sheepfold by haystacks only 200 yards away from his childhood residence in Djelfa, in northern Algeria.
He was 19 when his family last saw him, Al Jazeera reported.
He spent decades as a captive of his neighbor.
A grainy cell phone video reportedly shows Omran in the chamber in which he was hidden.
NEW: Man who disappeared 27 years ago at the age of 17, found alive 200 meters from his family’s home in a neighbor’s cellar.
Insane.
Omar Bin Omran of Algeria disappeared 27 years ago. He went missing in 1998 on his way to a vocational school.
A 61-year-old is in police… pic.twitter.com/idkvSCykmh
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) May 15, 2024
The victim purportedly feared crying out for help during his nearly 30-year captivity out of fear that his captor had placed a “spell” on him.
The provincial prosecutor’s office has ordered that Omran receive medical and psychological assistance after his rescue, according to the U.K. Mirror.
A 61-year-old suspect,. identified as a doorman, was arrested in connection to Omran’s kidnapping, according to Al Jazeera.
The suspect hasn’t been publicly identified.
The suspect’s brother reportedly posted accusatory information about him amid a dispute over a family inheritance, leading to a law enforcement investigation.
The alleged captor was arrested at his residence, having reportedly attempted to flee the scene after law enforcement recovered Omran.
Today In Algeria, a man missing since 1996 was found captive in his neighbor’s celler
full story: Man who disappeared 28 years ago at the age of 16, found alive 200 meters from his family’s home in a neighbor’s cellar.
Omar Bin Omran of Algeria disappeared 28 years ago. He went… pic.twitter.com/nSJ18sWmXQ
— I Post Forbidden Videos 🔞 (@WorldDarkWeb) May 16, 2024
An additional seven defendants are facing criminal charges in connection with Omran’s disappearance and captivity, according to the U.K.-based The National News. They are suspected of concealing the site where he was being and not informing authorities, the news website reported.
Omran’s mother died in 2013 — with his family long having believed that the missing youth perished during Algeria’s civil war.
Algerian law enforcement is pledging that the “perpetrator of this heinous crime” will be punished with “severity,” according to the Mirror.
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