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'I am convinced that Father Tom is alive': New photo of haggard-looking Fr. Tom released
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The group believed to be responsible for kidnapping Fr. Tom released a new photo of the priest to his hacked Facebook account.
Highlights
Catholic Online (https://www.catholic.org)
7/20/2016 (9 years ago)
Published in Middle East
Keywords: Father Tom, photo, Yemen, priest, terrorists
LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - Father Tom was kidnapped in Yemen, presumably by the Islamic State.
When news of his Good Friday execution spread, the world went crazy but calmed when the dreaded day came and went without incident.
Father Tom's fate remained unknown for several months until earlier this week, when his hacked Facebook account, which is presumed to have been hacked by the group responsible for his abduction, released an image of an emaciated-looking Father Tom.
His hair was longer and his face bore a thick mustache and beard. His cheekbones were prominent on his gaunt face and his eyes were dark and deep-set.
Sources spoke to the Catholic News Agency to discredit the image, with one claiming it may be a fake.
"I have checked with a confrere with (the) Yemen experience and very close to Fr. Tom who shares my doubts about the authenticity of the photo. We simply do not have any verified news about (it), although I am convinced that Fr. Tom is alive."
While some hold to the hope the thin man in the image isn't Fr. Tom, others noticed a brief video posted to Twitter.
According to The New Indian Express, a Twitter account belonging to Taji Non was posted with the caption: "I got a vid on WhatsApp for Fr Tom Uzhunnalil under torture."
The accompanying video shows a man believed to be Father Tom blindfolded. He is then slapped by an unidentified person.
American Bazaar Online claims other videos of Father Tom being tortured and beaten have been appearing across a variety of social media platforms.
Each video and image reveals a haggard Father Tom. One image caption reads, "Fr. Tom's Entreaty will be uploaded soon."
Whether the images and videos are authentic have yet to be substantiated.
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