Random Victims Who Outsmarted Their Captors (10 items)

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  (#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. 
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  (#8) Actor Used His Trademark "Tarzan" Yell To Avoid Kidnapping

  This story proves that anyone can be disarmed by a celebrity.

  Johnny Weismuller, who played Tarzan in twelve different films and created the iconic character's ape-like yell, was visiting Cuba during the revolution. While he and some friends were out golfing, they suddenly found their cart surrounded by rebel soldiers pointing guns at them.

  After trying to communicate that he was the famous actor known for playing Tarzan, Weismuller switched gears and let out one of his huge Tarzan yells. The star-struck rebels put down their guns and yelled, "Tarzan! Tarzan!" Weismuller and his friends were escorted back to their hotel completely unharmed.
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  (#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.
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  (#5) Two Men Escaped Captivity After Tiring Out Their Guards With Board Games

  In 2008, a New York Times reporter and his translator escaped from the Taliban, thanks in part to a board game. 

  After being captured in Afghanistan while doing research for a book, David Rohde, his translator Tahir, and their driver were held in Pakistan while their captors made demands to the US. 

  After seven months, their driver had turned against them and they knew that they had to make an escape. Tahir kept the guards up late one night playing checkah, a game similar to Parcheesi. With the guards peacefully passed out, Rohde and Tahir climbed over a five-foot-high wall and used a rope they'd hidden days earlier to climb down and get away.
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  (#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.
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  (#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.

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