Farouk Kassam reflects on 1992 Porto Cervo kidnapping

Farouk Kassam, who was kidnapped at age seven in Porto Cervo on January 15, 1992, has shared new reflections on his 177-day captivity. In recent interviews, the 42-year-old described the experience of being held in a cave as a “horror film,” noting the psychological terror used by kidnappers to convince him he had been abandoned by his parents.

Kassam, who currently works in real estate between Rome, Dubai, and London, stated that the trauma shaped him into a more pragmatic and cynical individual. He noted that he has not sought psychotherapy, instead finding strength through family, friends, and personal resilience.

The upcoming TV miniseries, “177 Giorni – Il rapimento di Farouk,” dramatizes the events of his imprisonment in Sardinia. Kassam, who makes a cameo appearance in the series, views the production as part of his process of processing the past.