Footage captures moment man missing for 27 years was found in neighbors cellar just minutes from his home
Topics: Social Media, Crime, World News, Viral
Emily Brown
Featured Image Credit: EnnaharTv
Topics: Social Media, Crime, World News, Viral
Shocking footage shows the moment authorities discovered the hiding place of a man who was allegedly kidnapped when he was just a teenager in 1997.
Omar Bin Omran was 17 years old when he vanished while on his way to vocational school in Algeria, and it wasn't until Sunday (May 12) that authorities were finally able to locate him.
Footage of Omran's discovery has since been shared on X and broadcast on Algerian television networks.
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In the clip, Omran, now sporting a beard, can be seen looking up into the torchlight from what appears to be the hole in the ground, surrounded by hay. Later, scenes show flashing lights as authorities continue the investigation.
Now 45-years-old, Omran was found in the space below the floor of what is thought to be some sort of sheep pen.
As if being held captive for 27 years wasn't shocking enough, the discovery was made even more unbelievable due to the fact that Omran was found a mere 300 feet from his own family's residence.
Following his discovery, the 61-year-old man accused of holding him captive attempted to flee, but was ultimately caught and has been remanded in custody.
As his disappearance took place amid the Algerian Civil War in 1997, Omran's family believed he had been kidnapped or killed.
However, his mother is said to have held on to hope up until her death in 2013.
Investigators began to look into the case again after the brother of Omran's accused captor, said to have worked as a civil servant, suggested he may have been involved in the kidnapping in a social media post amid a fight over inheritance.
The National Gendarmerie in Algeria then searched the man's home, at which pointed they discovered the trapdoor hidden underneath the hay.
Speaking about the discovery, a court official said: “Following this report the General Prosecutor of the Court of Idrisiya in the province of Djelfa ordered the National Gendarmerie to open an in-depth investigation and officers went to the house in question.
“The Public Prosecutor's Office ordered that the victim receive medical and psychological treatment, and the suspect will be presented to the Public Prosecutor's Office immediately after the completion of the investigation."
Following his discovery, Omran was taken to a medical center for both the physical and psychological treatment.
According to a report from the Elkhabar newspaper, Omran was quoted as saying that he used to be able to see his family members from a window in the cellar where he was being held, but he couldn't call out as it felt 'as if there was a compelling force inside me, preventing me'.
Omran's accused captor is set to go to trial for what the attorney general's office described as a 'heinous crime'.