Thiruvananthapuram: Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan expressed happiness over the release of abducted priest Tom Uzhunnalil. The chief minister said it is understood that Oman Government’s intervention played a key role in his release. He promised all help from government for his treatment and return to Kerala. Pinarayi said Mr Uzhunnalil who is not in good health at the moment was undergoing treatment in Oman.
“I join the happiness of the faithful and the general public on his safe and secure return from Yemen,” the chief minister said in a Facebook post. Fr Uzhanalil was abducted by ISIS in March 2016 after an attack on an old People’s Home run by missionaries’ in the southern port city of Aden. Gunmen posing as relatives of one of the inmates at the home burst inside killing 16 including four Indian nuns.
