cmo
10/12/09, 06:31 PM
http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2009/10/12/article-0-06C9C2EA000005DC-935_468x302.jpg
Father Sinnott presents a gift to a Filipino boy in the southern Philippine city of Pagadian.
Irish priest, 78, taken hostage 'by Muslim gunmen' in Philippines
A 78-year-old Irish priest has been abducted by heavily armed men from the garden of his house in the Phillipines.
Six gunmen dragged the Rev. Michael Sinnott into a van in front of his horrified aides inside the Columban House compound in Pagadian City on Mindano island in the south of the country.
Local police chief Angelo Sunglao said: 'They could not do anything because the abductors had powerful weapons.'
Muslim guerrillas have been fighting for an independent state in the southern Philippines region for decades and have been known to target and kidnap foreigners, including priests.
The Columban regional director, Patrick O'Donoghue, said he was worried because Sinnott has a heart condition and was not carrying his medication when he was taken.
The abductors took Sinnott away by sea on a motorboat toward a town called Tukuran.
'He's a very robust man for his age, but he has had a heart by-pass four years ago,' Fr O'Donoghue said from his home in Manila.
'The concern that I would have is that if he does not have his medication this would be very serious thing for him, especially given the shock.
'It must be a very shocking thing to find yourself bundled into a car and taken away.'
The van was later found abandoned and burned near the Catholic mission house.
Police and troops were mobilised to search the area.
Al-Qaida-linked Abu Sayyaf militants and insurgents from the larger Moro Islamic Liberation Front have a presence in the vast Zamboanga peninsula.
Sinnott's group, the Missionary Society of St. Columban, confirmed his abduction, saying he was taking an evening stroll in the convent's garden when he was taken by the gunmen. The group appealed for prayers for his safe recovery.
Sinnott has worked in the Philippines for decades. The group said he was first assigned in the southern Philippines between 1957-66, then returned in 1976.
He has been involved in a school for handicapped children since 1998.
Several priests have been kidnapped in recent years in the region.
Mostly recently, an Italian priest, Giancarlo Bossi, was kidnapped allegedly by members of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front and the Abu Sayyaf in nearby Zamboanga Sibugay province in June 2007. He was freed after 39 days.
The rebel front denied any involvement. The government then denied speculation that a ransom was paid to win Bossi's release.
http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2009/10/12/article-1219799-06CA2283000005DC-564_468x313.jpg
The burned-out van that kidnappers used in the abduction which was later found abandoned
http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2009/10/12/article-1219799-06CA80C4000005DC-396_468x327.jpg
Father Sinnott was taken from his house in Pagadian City on Mindanao Island in the south of the Philippines
http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2009/10/12/article-1219799-06CA8D05000005DC-782_468x355.jpg
Pagadian City is a hilly city on the island of Mindanao
The 11,000-strong Moro Islamic Liberation Front, which has been engaged in on-and-off peace talks with the government, has denied any involvement in kidnappings for ransom or any alliance with the smaller and more violent Abu Sayyaf.
The Abu Sayyaf is believed to have about 400 fighters.
U.S. and Philippine security officials say it has received funds from al-Qaida and is suspected of sheltering militants from the larger Southeast Asian terrorist group Jemaah Islamiyah.
source (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worldnews/article-1219799/Irish-priest-78-taken-hostage-Muslim-gunmen-Philippines.html)
Father Sinnott presents a gift to a Filipino boy in the southern Philippine city of Pagadian.
Irish priest, 78, taken hostage 'by Muslim gunmen' in Philippines
A 78-year-old Irish priest has been abducted by heavily armed men from the garden of his house in the Phillipines.
Six gunmen dragged the Rev. Michael Sinnott into a van in front of his horrified aides inside the Columban House compound in Pagadian City on Mindano island in the south of the country.
Local police chief Angelo Sunglao said: 'They could not do anything because the abductors had powerful weapons.'
Muslim guerrillas have been fighting for an independent state in the southern Philippines region for decades and have been known to target and kidnap foreigners, including priests.
The Columban regional director, Patrick O'Donoghue, said he was worried because Sinnott has a heart condition and was not carrying his medication when he was taken.
The abductors took Sinnott away by sea on a motorboat toward a town called Tukuran.
'He's a very robust man for his age, but he has had a heart by-pass four years ago,' Fr O'Donoghue said from his home in Manila.
'The concern that I would have is that if he does not have his medication this would be very serious thing for him, especially given the shock.
'It must be a very shocking thing to find yourself bundled into a car and taken away.'
The van was later found abandoned and burned near the Catholic mission house.
Police and troops were mobilised to search the area.
Al-Qaida-linked Abu Sayyaf militants and insurgents from the larger Moro Islamic Liberation Front have a presence in the vast Zamboanga peninsula.
Sinnott's group, the Missionary Society of St. Columban, confirmed his abduction, saying he was taking an evening stroll in the convent's garden when he was taken by the gunmen. The group appealed for prayers for his safe recovery.
Sinnott has worked in the Philippines for decades. The group said he was first assigned in the southern Philippines between 1957-66, then returned in 1976.
He has been involved in a school for handicapped children since 1998.
Several priests have been kidnapped in recent years in the region.
Mostly recently, an Italian priest, Giancarlo Bossi, was kidnapped allegedly by members of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front and the Abu Sayyaf in nearby Zamboanga Sibugay province in June 2007. He was freed after 39 days.
The rebel front denied any involvement. The government then denied speculation that a ransom was paid to win Bossi's release.
http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2009/10/12/article-1219799-06CA2283000005DC-564_468x313.jpg
The burned-out van that kidnappers used in the abduction which was later found abandoned
http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2009/10/12/article-1219799-06CA80C4000005DC-396_468x327.jpg
Father Sinnott was taken from his house in Pagadian City on Mindanao Island in the south of the Philippines
http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2009/10/12/article-1219799-06CA8D05000005DC-782_468x355.jpg
Pagadian City is a hilly city on the island of Mindanao
The 11,000-strong Moro Islamic Liberation Front, which has been engaged in on-and-off peace talks with the government, has denied any involvement in kidnappings for ransom or any alliance with the smaller and more violent Abu Sayyaf.
The Abu Sayyaf is believed to have about 400 fighters.
U.S. and Philippine security officials say it has received funds from al-Qaida and is suspected of sheltering militants from the larger Southeast Asian terrorist group Jemaah Islamiyah.
source (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worldnews/article-1219799/Irish-priest-78-taken-hostage-Muslim-gunmen-Philippines.html)