An Algerian man who had been missing for 26 years was found minutes away in his neighbor’s home, the country’s justice ministry said this week.
During the Algerian civil war in 1998, at the age of 19, Omar b. The man, identified as , went missing and his family believed he had been abducted or killed.
The now 45-year-old was found 200 yards away amid hay in the town of Djelfa, where the captive’s brother aired grievances on social media, allegedly over an inheritance dispute.
Algerian media When family members began searching the suspect’s home, he panicked when they approached a stack of hay and eventually found Omar B. They found it sitting “quietly” below.
The ministry said the alleged perpetrator was taken into custody after trying to flee at the door of a 61-year-old’s house in the municipality of El Qudit, a nearby town.
Algerian media said the victim was unable to call for help “because of the spell cast on him by his captor”.
The girl’s alleged abductor has also been accused of poisoning her dog Algerian mediaIt published a photo of the dog with the victim the year he disappeared.
The ministry said the investigation was still ongoing and the victim was receiving medical and psychological treatment after the crime, which was described as “horrific”.
The victim was examined by a doctor and transferred to a special psychiatric health ward, Algerian media reported.
