External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj on Saturday said India was “making all efforts” to bring back Fr Tom Uzhunnallil, an Indian priest who was reportedly abducted by members of the Islamic State group in Yemen. Uzhunnallil is believed to have been kidnapped by four gunmen from a retirement home in Aden run by the Missionaries of Charity. The attack was carried out by suspected Islamic State terrorists, and 16 people were killed during the seige.

While rumours were rife that the priest would be tortured and crucified by the terrorists on Good Friday, the Salesians’ of Don Bosco dismissed these on Friday. According to The Indian Express, Uzhunnalil had returned to India in February last year after the conflict in Yemen grew. He went back to Yemen in April, saying he was familiar with the area.