Kidnapped Irish priest released in Phillippines

An armed gang has released a 79-year-old priest from Ireland after he was held by the group for the past month. He is now recuperating under the watch of the Missionaires at St Columban. He will undergo a medical examination due to fears over his health following a previous heart bypass operation in 2005.

On October 11th this year Father Michael Sinnott, based on the Phillipine island of Mindanao, was abducted at his gated compound residence in Pagadian City. He was accosted by a group of armed men as he was walking in the compound’s private garden. He was thrown into the back of a utility vehicle which drove to a beach nearby where the gang and hostage fled by speedboat.

The separatist group the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) along with Abu Sayef, who has links to al Qaeda, were identified by local authorities as the movements most likely behind the kidnapping.

No ransom payment was made to ensure the release of Father Sinnott according to the Irish government. Michael Martin, the Irish Foreign Affairs Minister, claimed he was both relieved and delighted with the news of Father Sinnott’s release. Martin said the release represented a successful conclusion to a significant diplomatic joint-effort by the Philippine and Irish governments.

Martin confirmed that no ransom demands were paid as doing so could seriously jeopardise other Irish citizens as well as endangering the lives of missionaries an aid workers across the globe.

Father Sinnott, of County Wexford, has been heading a school for hearing-impaired children for the past four years. He has lived in the Phillippines since 1976.