Fears mount for safety of abducted Irish priest

FEARS are growing for the safety of kidnapped Irish priest Fr Michael Sinnott after military authorities in the Philippines yesterday admitted that they do not know for certain where he is.

Last weekend the military claimed to have surrounded the compound where he is being held, but that has now been discounted. Fr Sinnott was reported to be in three different provinces in southern Philippines yesterday, making it difficult for the military to conduct search and rescue operations.

“On the case of Father Sinnott, we have a lot of information. We are trying to make sense of it through our intelligence units,” said Col Benito de Leon, commander of the army’s 104th Brigade.