YouTuber YourFellowArab has gone into detail about the 17 days he spent kidnapped in Haiti in a tell-all interview with his brother.
YouTuber and streamer YourFellowArab made headlines in late March after it was revealed he had been kidnapped by the 400 Mawozo gang in Haiti.
A $600,000 ransom was demanded for his release, however, he was later let go unconditionally without the ransom having been paid, returning home and denying rumors that the kidnapping was fake.
Now, in an exclusive interview posted to Arab’s YouTube channel with his older brother Eddie Maalouf, the pair have shared how the kidnapping went down and delved into Arab’s time spent as a hostage in Haiti.
In the nearly three-and-a-half-hour interview, the YouTuber described how “eight dudes with AKs” stopped his car after entering Haiti.
Brought to a “cement compound with barbwire” alongside Sean Roubens Jean Sacra, a fixer in Haiti who Arab was traveling with, the pair were questioned by gang leader Lanmò Sanjou — who remains wanted by the FBI.
Attempting to talk himself out of the kidnapping, Arab said he showed his past videos and shared his plans to interview fellow gang boss Jimmy ‘Barbecue’ Cherizier; “At this point, I’m trying to just survive.”
However, despite ‘gifting’ Lanmò his phone and USD$3,500, Arab was taken to another compound alongside Sean. Arab was then instructed to call his family, which is when he first informed Eddie of the kidnapping and ransom.
Eddie attempted to talk down the ransom and explained the most difficult issue encountered was not accumulating the money but finding a way to deliver it. Arab also told viewers he would have been “screwed” if he had not been sharing his location with family while traveling. Eddie agreed, stating, “We knew what house you were in the whole time.”
Arab said he continued to communicate via text, deleting messages to avoid suspicion from his kidnappers and working out to make the days go by quicker. During his time being held, Arab was also expected to “entertain” by dancing and cracking jokes, while Sean was “bartending.”
“Positivity saved my life in there,” Arab said. “I’m one of the only people that has come out of kidnapping with this guy untouched… they didn’t touch me.”
In the meantime, Eddie was determining the best way to free his brother with multiple plans ready to go. After a certain amount of the ransom was exchanged, however, Arab was still not set free.
Arab stated that after the news broke, “many people reached out and said they would pay the entire ransom without asking for anything in return.” The Youtuber thanked those who offered their help, promising to thank everyone in person.
Ultimately, Arab and Sean were let go without any more of the ransom being paid after Barbecue intervened and demanded their release. Upon returning to US soil, Arab said he was taken for questioning and had his phone reviewed.
Arab went on to apologize for putting his loved ones through such a traumatic ordeal, thanking them for their hard work getting him back home safely and claiming his brother “saved [his] life while inside.” Arab also teased an upcoming video showcasing footage that showed exactly what went down during and inside the kidnapping ordeal; “There will be a trailer on Sunday.”
