Kidnapped Indian priest rescued in Yemen

An Indian priest who was kidnapped in 2016 by unidentified armed men was freed in Yemen yesterday, the Times of Oman reported.

Father Tom Uzhunnalil was freed following consular assistance from the Sultanate of Oman. The priest was transferred to the capital of Oman, Muscat, where he was flown to India to be reunited with his family.

Gunmen abducted the priest in an attack on a care home last year in Aden, in the south of Yemen, in which four nuns, two Yemeni staff, and eight elderly residents and a security guard were killed.

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“I am happy to inform that Father Tom Uzuhnnalil has been rescued,” Indian Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj said on Twitter.

The name of the armed group or identity of the kidnappers is unknown. A-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula and Daesh currently operate in Yemen.

Oman frequently assists with freeing foreign nationals held in captivity in Yemen.