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Photo of Fr Tom Uzhunalil feared captive in Yemen emerges, family relieved he is alive

The photo shows the once clean-shaven priest, now looking weary and tired, with a long beard.

Yemen, July 20, 2006: Months after he was feared abducted by ISIS or some such terror group in Yemen, a picture of Father Tom Uzhunnalil, a Catholic prie, st who hails from Kerala has been posted on Facebook.

Though the priest had gone missing in March this year, the government had inisisted that he was safe.

While it is unclear as to who posted the photo on Facebook, the status claims that an ’Entreaty’ or plea would be uploaded soon.

The photo shows the once clean-shaven priest, now looking weary and tired, with a long beard.

Advocate, Augustine, his relative told TNM, "Many people in the family have checked the picture and feel it is father Uzhunnalil’s. This is the first time such a picture has come. The only solace is that we know he is alive."

Augustine also said that the government had told them it was unsure, as to who to hold talks with in Yemen.

"There is no government there and so our government is finding it tough to hold talks. We don’t believe he has been taken away by Islamic State, but perhaps by a smaller group. The caption on the picture says his plea would be posted soon, waiting for that," he added.

Tom Uzhunnalil had gone missing in Yemen after the Islamic State militant group attacked a care home run by Mother Teresa’s Missionaries of Charity.

Gunmen had stormed the refuge for the elderly earlier in April and killed a Yemeni guard before tying up and shooting 15 other employees.

Four foreign nuns, including an Indian, working as nurses were among those killed.

Father Tom was captured from the southern Yemeni city of Aden.

Following reports that the priest was dead, Father Gyanprakash Topno, spokesman of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India (CBCI), along with a five-member delegation, met External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, who strongly refuted reports that the priest was not alive.

"Father Tom is safe and efforts are on for his release as early as possible," Topno said, quoting the minister who also told the delegation that the "government will facilitate the priest’s safe return to India".