Algerian court hands life sentence to man who held teen neighbor in cellar for 26 years

An Algerian court handed a life sentence to a man convicted of keeping his neighbor captive in his basement for nearly three decades, Algerian media sources reported on Thursday.

The sentencing by the Djelfa Judicial Council concluded a trial that extended for several hours, according to Ennahar Online. The convicted man, identified as a self-proclaimed "sorcerer," was found guilty of kidnapping Omar Bin Omran, who disappeared from the city of Djelfa in 1996 when he was just 16.

Authorities revealed that five individuals were involved in the case, facing charges that included kidnapping and failure to alert the authorities. While the main defendant received a life sentence, two other individuals were given one-year prison terms for not reporting the abduction, and the remaining two defendants were acquitted.

The case resurfaced in May when Algerian officials announced the discovery of Bin Omran, now 45, alive and held captive in his neighbor’s cellar. The Djelfa Public Prosecution Office reported that they had acted on a tip-off indicating Bin Omran was being held at a nearby property, hidden under haystacks in the basement.

“After receiving the report, the prosecutor instructed the national gendarmerie to conduct a thorough investigation. On the evening of May 12, officers entered the residence and found Omar Bin Omran in a cellar,” the prosecution’s statement explained.

For years, Bin Omran’s family had presumed him dead, fearing he had fallen victim to armed groups that were active in Algeria during the 1990s.