The YouTuber was blackmailed for $600,000.
American YouTuber Addison Pierre Maalouf, popularly known as “YourFellowArab” or “The Arab,” has been allegedly kidnapped in Haiti by one of the gangs that became the country’s de facto rulers.according to new york post, the Georgia-based YouTuber traveled to the violence-plagued country to interview one of the country’s most notorious gang leaders, Jimmy “Barbecue” Cherichier. However, just 24 hours after arriving in Haiti, Mr. Malouf and a Haitian colleague were taken away by members of the 400 Mawozo gang on 14 March.
according to postthe YouTuber was detained and demanded a ransom of $600,000, and although $40,000 had already been paid, the kidnappers continued to demand large sums of money to secure Mr. Malouf’s release.
Mr. Maalouf has more than 1.4 million subscribers on YouTube. He is known for exploring dangerous areas of general tourist attractions.
As news of his disappearance spread online, streamer Lallam confirmed his friend had been taken hostage. “We tried to keep this a secret for two weeks but now it’s leaked everywhere,” Lalham posted on .
In a separate post, Lalham also shared the last video Mr Maloof posted online. The video shows the YouTuber in a hotel in Haiti. He said in the video that he and his crew had planned to head to the capital, Port-au-Prince, but had to wait until the early morning hours to arrive in the sun. He also noted that Port-au-Prince is “completely controlled by gangs” and although they have ensured safe passage, “it only takes one stupid gang member with an AK-47 to cause problems”.
This was the last video he recorded before he was kidnapped, if you have his phone number please do not text him while he is there for safety reasons. 🙏 https://t.co/JJ7y1uVjGA
— Lalem (@Lalem) March 29, 2024
Mr Maloof also posted on March 10 that he would “make another trip like this”. “If I die, thank you for watching what I post. If I live, all glory to God,” he wrote above X.
On Friday, another YouTuber, Miles “Lord Miles” Routledge, claimed he spoke with the kidnapped streamer.in a series of tweetsMr Routledge said Mr Maloof was traveling with a broker named Sean Roubens Jean Sacra, who was also kidnapped. “Arabs are being held in cages somewhere on the eastern outskirts of the capital, Port-au-Prince,” he said.
“Arab said that despite the difficulties, he would put out a great video after this and that he should be leaving soon. Sean was actually offered to be fired, but he’s a great guy and he didn’t want that did leave the Arab alone, so he decided to stay,” Mr Routledge added.
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Routledge also criticized the U.S. government and State Department for failing to secure Maloof’s release. He said they were “very hands-off about helping, even though the Arabs were American citizens.”
Meanwhile, in a statement postThe U.S. State Department confirmed it was “aware of reports that a U.S. citizen had been kidnapped in Haiti,” but did not provide any details. “The safety and security of U.S. citizens abroad is the top priority of the U.S. Department of State and our missions abroad,” a spokesperson said. “We reiterate our message to U.S. citizens: Do not travel to Haiti.”
