Omar Bin Omran was found just 300 feet from his own family’s home
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.
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.
