Kidnapped Irish priest freed in Philippines

Published: 11:43AM Thursday November 12, 2009 Source: Reuters

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An Irish priest kidnapped in the southern Philippines a month ago has been freed unharmed, a senior church official and members of a Muslim rebel group said.

They said Michael Sinnott, a 78-year-old Columban priest who was snatched from the garden of a church on October 11, was handed over to police and government officials in the city of Zamboanga in the southern region of Mindanao shortly before dawn.

The Moro Islamic Liberation Front, the largest Muslim rebel group in the Philippines, has been helping secure the release of the priest. Government officials have said he was kidnapped by armed men owing allegiance to a local rebel commander.

They had demanded a ransom of $2 million, but it was not immediately known if any money was paid.

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