A man who disappeared 26 years ago, at the age of 17, was found alive just 100 metres from his residence in Algeria. According to New York Post, Omar Bin Omran was rescued from the house of his kidnapper after he went missing on his way to school in 1998. Omar, now 45, was kept in the basement below the neighbour's floor in some kind of sheep pen. The man who kidnapped Omar, a 61-year-old who lived alone, was taken into custody.
A video on social media shows the moment Omar was rescued by security forces on Sunday. The clip shows Omar, with a long beard, shivering while being helped out of the cellar.
"The Djelfa Attorney General's Office informs the public that on May 12 at 8pm local time it found victim Omar bin Omran, aged 45, in the cellar of his neighbour, BA, aged 61," The National quoted Algerian prosecutors as saying.
Officials further said that the "perpetrator of this heinous crime" will be punished severely.
Police was alerted after the neighbour's brother suggested on social media that his sibling was involved in kidnapping. He revealed the information since the brothers are involved in a dispute over inheritance.
When officials searched the neighbour's home, they discovered a trapdoor hidden underneath hay on the floor.
They found Omar behind the door, said the Post report.
His kidnapper is also accused of killing Omar's dog. He was taken to a local hospital for treatment after being rescued.
While other family member thought Omar was killed during the country's civil war in the 1990s, his mother kept looking for him. She died in 2013.
Omar told family members that he would sometimes see them walking by through a window in his abductor's home, but was unable to speak or call out to them - like he was under some kind of spell, according to Algerian news outlets.
