Dearborn Heights Man Talks About His 6 Months in 'Guantanamo Yemen'

(Originally posted on Oct. 7, 2016) DEARBORN, MI — Sam Farran knows what hell is like. He spent six months as a prisoner in Yemen, where he was handcuffed, blinded and beaten to unconsciousness. He shared a cell with al-Qaeda members who talked candidly about their hatred for the U.S. and their plans to wreak havoc.

Al-Qaeda called the military base prison, teeming with terrorists, “Guantanamo Yemen.” Farran told The Detroit News he called it the grave.

Farran, 55, of Dearborn Heights, was working as a security consultant in Yemen when he was abducted in March 2015 by Houthi rebels, a Shiite Muslim group who had overthrown the government. They were captured as they tried to flee Yemen. Farran and another American, Scott Darden, were released in September of 2015. He was asked recently how it felt to leave the prison.

“It’s my new birthday,” he said.

» Read more about his ordeal on The Detroit News.

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