Nigel Brennan Amanda Lindhout’s Boyfriend during captivity

Nina Dawn

Nigel Brennan imagePin

Amanda Lindhout and photographer Nigel Brennan were taken hostage after three days. He is a photographer Nigel Brennan who was taken hostage in Somalia in 2007 . The guy kept smiling even back in November 2009 after being freed following 15 months in captivity.

The sad news is that Nigel Brennan manage to smile after their ordeal, but Amanda and he longer speak to each other.

The Australian and his ex-girlfriend on their third day in Somalia, were kidnapped.

The story:

Not a minute out from a checkpoint, there’s a blue Suzuki blocking their trail, then 12 gunmen, the volume of whom shove themselves into Amanda’s and Nigel’s SUV and drive them away.

Sister,

one says,

don’t worry. Nothing will happen to you.

They put Nigel and Amanda in a space clear save for two mattresses. They were jihadis.

Nigel’s family is large and middle-class, all “mortgaged to the eyeballs” with about $25,000 in savings among them.

During this nightmare, Nigel kept on curling up in the fetal position as he heard Amanda’s screams through the wall, her jihadi captors were raping her nightly.

Lastly, one day in November, packages turn up for both, Hemingway for Nigel.

One of Nigel’s siblings flies to Somalia. One night, Nigel overhears Amanda on the phone, begging her mother to take the entire $500,000 that Nigel’s family has largely raised and using it to pay just for her….

Jezz..love and hate can be so close, just a thin line among life and death.

Now, Nigel is in a race for funds for 2 charities (autistics and dogs)

He says:

@ClipperRace counting down to race start. Can’t wait to get the sails up & start sailing. Brest in 3 days time, bring on the Moët.

Being kidnapped 4 15 months will b a piece of piss compared to 4 months sailing to Australia @ClipperRace @blackdoginst @AutismSpectAust

Black Dog Institute ‏@blackdoginst17 jul

Nigel Brennan aka @thedirtyhostage survived kidnapping in Somalia. Now he’s sailing around world for us. Support him http://personalchallenge.gofundraise.com.au/page/NigelBrennan …

Nigel Brennan ‏@thedirtyhostage2 jun

@Higgo74 thanks for the nice book review, glad you enjoyed the read. My family is amazing, they risked a lot to pay for our lives.

Nigel’s twitter here.