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Some residents of the building, including minors, saw him or overheard conversations, yet did not alert the police.
Investigations revealed: At least three women brought him food and participated in humiliating him. Several teenagers were seen bragging about the hostage to peers. Some neighbours claimed fear of retaliation if they spoke up; others shared the antisemitic belief that “Jews are rich” and thus thought ransom-seeking was justified.
The police later criticized this collective silence as a form of passive complicity, a “wall of indifference” that allowed the torture to continue for 24 days.
Authorities later found cigarette butts, DNA traces, and clothing in the basement.
Phone records and witness statements confirmed a constant flow of visitors to the holding site.
The investigation concluded that this was not just the act of a lone sadist but a communal crime, sustained by active cruelty from some and deliberate inaction from others.
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