iStockphoto / La_Corivo
YouTuber YourFellowArab, real name Addison Pierre Maalouf, is revealed to have been kidnapped in Haiti and is currently being held for $600,000 in ransom after he was ambushed on his way to a meeting with the Haitian gang leader known as ‘Barbecue,’ a former cop who is currently the figurehead of the gangs burning down Port au Prince and overthrowing the government.
If your first thought was ‘why the heck was YourFellowArab in Haiti to begin with?’ then rest assured that is a very reasonable first thought. However, his whole appeal on YouTube is going to regions of conflict and war zones, the places normal person would dare visit, and film YouTube content while he’s there.
Thanks to his videos like ‘I Spent A Day With Rio Brazil’s Most Dangerous Gang’ and ‘Day 1 of Living with the Mexican Cartel’, he has amassed over 1.42 million subscribers on YouTube and 342K+ followers on Instagram.
His friend and fellow content creator ‘Lalem’ is the one who announced that YourFellowArab had been kidnapped in Haiti. News outlets like the DailyMail later reported that YourFellowArab was there and on his way for an interview with the gang leader known as Barbecue.
Late Thursday night, Lalem wrote on X saying “Tried keeping it private for 2 weeks, but it’s getting out everywhere now, Yes Arab has been kidnapped in Haiti and we’re working on getting him out. Love yall he’ll be out soon.”
Lalem followed that message up by sharing the last video YourFellowArab posted and asked that people not contact him until he’s safely released:
This is the last video he recorded before he got kidnapped, if you have his number pls don’t text him while he’s in there for safety reasons. 🙏 https://t.co/JJ7y1uVjGA
— Lalem (@Lalem) March 29, 2024
As a final thought, Lalem shared “The “Inside the Mind of Escaping Haiti” series is boutta be insane.”
Barbecue’s real name is Jimmy Cerisier. He is a former cop who is now the most powerful gang leader in Haiti and the de facto leader of the gangs who currently rule the country.
Gangs have ruled over Haiti’s capital for weeks after the former president was ousted:
At this point, there really is no end in sight for the Haitian conflict. However, at least based on the comments from YourFellowArab’s friend Lalem, it seems like a release from his captors is potentially on the horizon.