Random Victims Who Outsmarted Their Captors (10 items)

• 

  (#6) A Man Outsmarted Pirates To Get His Ship Back

  When pirates decided to hijack a fishing vessel owned by Hassan Khalil, they messed with the wrong guy.

  Khalil's vessel and another ship were overtaken by pirates near the coast of Yemen in 2009. After trying to negotiate with the pirates unsuccessfully, he hired a group of mercenaries. Khalil paid one pirate $10,000 with the promise of more money and was allowed to re-board the ship to check on his crew. 

  Once back on the ship, he and his crew attacked the pirates with guns, knives, and tools. Eight pirates were delivered to the authorities, while two were killed in the sneak attack. 
• 

  (#9) Captive Reporter Was Asked To Set Up Kidnapper's Cell Phone, Used It To Tweet His Location

  In this case, a kidnapper trusted his prisoner to set up a brand-new cell phone for him and it totally backfired.

  Japanese journalist Kosuke Tsuneoka was captured in Afghanistan in 2010. After five months of captivity, he was losing hope of ever getting home. Then, one of his kidnappers was having trouble setting up his new Nokia and asked Tsuneoka for help. 

  Tsuneoka was able to convince them to get an Internet connection, which he then used to tweet his location while "setting up" the phone. He was freed a few days later.
• 

  (#3) Benedict Cumberbatch Talked His Way Out Of A Kidnap Attempt

  Years before he became the crime-solving super-detective Sherlock Holmes, Benedict Cumberbatch had to outsmart criminals in real life.

  In 2005, he was filming the miniseries The Ends of the Earth in South Africa and was traveling back to his hotel after a scuba-diving lesson. The car ended up getting a flat tire and when he, actress Denise Black, and a friend pulled over to fix it, they were ambushed by car jackers. 

  The men frisked them, tied them up, and forced them into the car. After driving for awhile, they stopped and tried to force Cumberbatch into the trunk. Thinking quickly, he told them that he had a medical condition that would cause him to have a seizure if he were forced into the small space. "I will be a dead Englishman in your car. Not good," he said.

  The ploy worked and the car jackers released Cumberbatch and his friends. He said the ordeal inspired him to "live a life less ordinary."
• 

  (#10) A Seattle Tourist Intimidated A Teen Robber

  This man showed absolutely no fear in the face of danger - and luckily, it worked.

  While in Seattle visiting his mother, the victim was riding a city bus near the Central District area. He noticed a suspicious teenager trying to hide his face, and when the man reached his stop, the teen followed him.

  When the man turned around on the street, the teen pulled a gun out of a paper bag. Unfazed, the man said, "What are you going to do with that pistol?" He threatened to fight back if he was robbed and the would-be robber realized he was in way over his head. He hid the gun and parted ways with the man at the next street corner.
• 

  (#1) A Young Girl Pulled A Fake Out To Escape Her Kidnapper

  It was every parent's worst nightmare, but 12-year-old Rebecca Savarese was able to think on her toes and outsmart her would-be abductor.

  While walking alone to school in 1994, a man came up to Rebecca and pressed a gun into her side. He commanded her to walk to his car. Rebecca did as she was told, but as they got closer, she pretended to lose her breath. Her attacker was startled, giving her enough time to run away. He was left holding her backpack, and then jumped in his car and took off.

  Eyewitness accounts eventually led to his capture, and it turned out that he was responsible for the deaths of at least three other children.
• 

  (#7) A Pilot Used Language Barriers To Outsmart Hijacker

  Thanks to some quick thinking from this pilot, he and his passengers were able to outsmart a hijacker.

  In 2007, a gunman took over an Air Mauritania flight, demanding to be taken to France to seek asylum for unknown reasons. The pilot, Ahmedou Mohamed Lemine, realized that the hijacker spoke no French and decided to use this against him.

  He spoke over the intercom in French, telling the crew and passengers to prepare for turbulence. With the gunman off balance, the crew had the opportunity to toss boiling water on him before he was overpowered by ten people. The plane was able to land safely and passengers were treated for only minor injuries.

New Random Displays    Display All By Ranking