Man kidnapped 26 years ago was held prisoner meters from home

An Algerian man, long believed dead, was finally discovered 26 years later, being held prisoner a mere 90 meters from his family home. Omar Bin Omran, then 19 years old, was on his way to a vocational school in 1998 when he mysteriously vanished. As the months and years went on, most of his family assumed he had been killed in the civil war, which lasted from 1992-2002. However, his mother refused to believe it, and there were signs something more sinister had happened: some time after the kidnapping, Omar’s dog was killed. The family suspected he was poisoned. A new lead emerged recently, after the family saw a social media post by one of their neighbors. His brother was arguing with him about an inheritance, and accused him of being involved in the kidnapping. Police searched the neighbor’s home, and a trap door was found; Omar was alive, and had been kept prisoner all this time. Omar said that he could see his family often through a small window, but could never call out for help, like he was under a ‘spell.’ His abductor, now 61, is set to face trial for the ‘heinous crime,’ while Omar is being treated for his ordeal, both physically, and psychologically.