In a startling turn of events, a man who had been missing for 26 years since his teenage years has been discovered alive in his neighbor’s cellar.
Identified as Omar Bin Omran (or Imran), the individual reportedly vanished in the city of Djelfa, Algeria, 27 years ago. His family had presumed him dead during the tumultuous civil war between Islamist rebel groups and the Algerian government that raged for a decade in the 1990s and early 2000s.
Now 45 years old, Omar was rescued on May 12, leading to the arrest of a 61-year-old individual who is currently in police custody.
Viral pictures have captured the moment of Omar’s discovery, showing torchlights illuminating a pit surrounded by hay, while Omar peers up, evidently shocked by the presence of the search party. Stray pieces of straw cling to his hair as he looks around.
Additional images have surfaced, including one of Omar emerging from the hole, believed to be a sheep pen, and another showing him as a teenager, seated with a dog and young children before his disappearance.
According to Algerian newspaper El Khabar, Omar, then 19 years old, vanished after leaving home to attend vocational school.
Tragically, Omar’s mother passed away in 2013 without ever learning the truth about her son’s fate. Reports indicate that Omar was informed of his mother’s death while in captivity.
