Armagh village prays for hostage

In the North, prayers have been said for Annetta Flanigan, the Armagh-born woman who is being held hostage in Afghanistan along with two other UN workers.

Friends and neighbours have attended the St Matthew's Church of Ireland in Ms Flanigan’s home village of Richill in Co Armagh, which was opened to allow people to say prayers for her release.

Local SDLP Assembly member Dominic Bradley said the entire community was in distress. He called for Ms Flanigan and her fellow captives to be released immediately.

“I know the thoughts and prayers of everyone here in Armagh are with Annetta and her family,” he said. “The captives are people who have made great sacrifices to help others. It's deeply troubling that the lives of these unselfish people are being put in danger for purely selfish political ends.''

Mr Bradley said the small community had been deeply shocked by Ms Flanigan’s kidnapping, particularly after recent events in Iraq, including the killing of British hostage Ken Bigley.

Ms Flanigan, a graduate of Queen's University in Belfast, worked as a solicitor in nearby Portadown. She and her husband, who is from Spain, had planned to return to the North for Christmas.

Ms Flanigan's family members have refused to speak publicly about their ordeal but the local rector, the Reverend David Coe, has said they are gravely concerned about the situation.