A US YouTube star has reportedly been kidnapped after he ignored warnings to travel to Haiti in an attempt to interview a ruthless gang leader.
Addison Pierre Maalouf is understood to have headed to the Caribbean country earlier this month to film content for his social media channel YourFellowArab.
Mr Maalouf was planning to interview Jimmy Cherizier, the leader of the notorious G9 gang who was nicknamed “Barbecue” for killing his rivals by torching their homes while they’re inside.
But on March 14, 24 hours after he arrived in the county, Mr Maalouf and a Haitian colleague were kidnapped by members of the 400 Mawozo gang, according to local news outlet Haiti24.
Joseph Wilson, the gang’s leader, is known as Lanmo San Jou, which means “death has no appointed time”.
Mr Maalouf is reportedly being held for a £475,000 ransom, of which £37,000 has been paid.
The US State Department would not confirm whether Mr Maalouf had been abducted but said it is “aware of reports of the kidnapping of a US citizen in Haiti”.
‘We’re working on getting him out’
Lalem, a fellow YouTuber, posted online on Thursday that his friend had been kidnapped.
“Yes Arab has been kidnapped in Haiti and we’re working on getting him out,” he wrote on X, formerly Twitter.
He also shared what he claims is the last video Mr Maalouf had recorded before being abducted.
In the video, a topless Mr Maalouf says he had planned to travel to Port-au-Prince, the Haiti capital, but had to wait until the morning to make the six-hour car journey.
He said he had been approved to travel to the region but “all it takes is one stupid gang member holding an AK-47 for one thing to go wrong.”
Standing on a balcony overlooking a pool, Mr Maalouf said he was planning to take advantage of the deserted facilities.
“How many times in your life are you the only person in an entire hotel because the country’s completely shut down, no one should be coming in and you’re just a retarded YouTuber”.
‘If I die, thanks for watching’
Mr Maalouf, who previously interviewed a Mexican cartel leader, wrote on March 10 that he was “going on another one of those trips”.
“If I die, thanks for watching what I’ve put out,” he posted.
Miles Routledge, another YouTuber, known as “Lord Miles” claimed he spoke directly with Mr Maalouf using his kidnappers’ phone.
He said his friend was being “kept in a cage in a place on the eastern outskirts of the capital, Port-au-Prince”.
The State Department warns against all travel to Haiti where “kidnapping is widespread and victims regularly include US citizens”.
Victims have been “physically harmed during kidnappings” and US personnel are “limited only to the confined area around the embassy and are prohibited from walking into Port-au-Prince”.
Emily Foster is a globe-trotting journalist based in the UK. Her articles offer readers a global perspective on international events, exploring complex geopolitical issues and providing a nuanced view of the world’s most pressing challenges.
