Algerian man found alive after 26 years in neighbour’s cellar - eviltoast
Officials have arrested a 61-year-old man suspected of keeping him prisoner.

Officials have arrested a 61-year-old man suspected of keeping him prisoner.

Archived version: https://archive.ph/NLYpz

  • hypnicjerk@lemmy.world
    981·
    6 months ago

    Mr Bin Omran told his rescuers he had at times seen his family from his prison, but claimed he had been unable to call out for help “because of a spell that his captor had cast on him”, local media reported.

    i uh… huh.

    • unexposedhazard@discuss.tchncs.de
      65·
      6 months ago

      We have no idea about the conditions he lived in, but i think 26 years is easily enough time to turn a humans brain into complete goo. You can make a human believe anything with that sort of timeframe.

      You can see that from the most extreme forms of military training. You take a human that has empathy and a fear of death and you just completely eliminate those things from that persons entire existence.

      • hypnicjerk@lemmy.world
        4·
        6 months ago

        still, i’m shocked to read that his survival instincts wouldn’t overcome his conditioning. that doesn’t happen by accident, his captor knew what he was doing.

    • livus@kbin.social
      42·
      6 months ago

      He was only 19 when he was stolen and may not have had a science based education.

      Reminds me a bit of the Jaycee Duggard case, she ended up interacting with lots of people without telling them that she was being held by a kidnapper.

    • Juniper (she/her) 🫐@lemmy.dbzer0.comEnglish
      24·
      6 months ago

      Bad translation/cultural interpretation? Maybe they meant something along the lines of “if I spoke he would have hurt my family” which is a verbal phrase that holds power over him, sort of like a spell.

      • Flyswat@lemmy.ml
        51·
        6 months ago

        No translation issue there. Northern Africa is quite known for witchcraft. People here might have trouble coming to terms with this, but it is what it is.