 SA photographer Shairaz Mohamed escaped from captivity in Syria, gift of the givers. SA photographer Shairaz Mohamed, who was kidnapped in Syria almost three years ago, is free. This is according to eight organization gift of the givers, which said it had received the news from unknown sources on Saturday. The details are sketchy but we were told that Shairaz escaped from captivity and at some point was assisted by friendly people, who were very aware of his case. Given the huge publicity gift of the givers initiated worldwide around Shairaz's capture, gift of the givers founder Imtiaz Suleiman said on Sunday morning. Mohamed was taken hostage on January 10, 2017, in Darkosh, Syria. He had gone on his own accord as a photojournalist to capture the suffering of the Syrian people. We thank the caller for contacting us but informed him that we had withdrawn from Shairaz's case on June 26, 2019 as the family had decided to go with an alternative option, Suleiman said. He said the organization asked that, even though it was no longer involved, if the source would send a picture of Mohamed to pass on to his distraught family and to ensure that it was indeed Shairaz that he was referring to. He graciously responded with one picture immediately. Late at night he sent us a second picture and said it was taken just before Shairaz was handed over to Turkish intelligence, Suleiman said. Suleiman said the organization had informed Mohamed's family, international relations, and cooperation minister Naldi Pandar and consular services of the latest development. All have acknowledged our messages. We now wait for the SA government to make contact with Turkish intelligence to bring Shairaz home as soon as practically possible, Suleiman said. Mohamed's family said it would like to respond to the latest news regarding his release. However, considering the sensitive nature of his circumstances, we believe it is irresponsible to make any public comment as it may endanger his life. We will keep the media informed once we have received independent confirmation that Shairaz is safely with the relevant authorities, the family said in a statement.