MANILA: Philippine security forces combed coastal areas on the southern island of Mindanao on Monday to locate gunmen holding an Irish Catholic missionary as church leaders appealed to the kidnappers to free the ailing priest.
Michael Sinnott, 78, a Columbian priest, was taken at gunpoint by six men who stormed his home in Pagadian City on Mindanao on Sunday. Witnesses said the priest was bundled into a van and later dragged to a boat.
No one has claimed responsibility but the area is home to several militant groups, including the Abu Sayyaf, which kidnapped Italian priest Giancarlo Bossi in 2007 and later released him.
"We've sent out teams to scour coastal areas in Lanao del Sur and Zamboanga peninsula to look for the kidnappers," national police chief Jesus Verzosa told reporters.
Catholic bishops in the Philippines appealed to Sinnott's kidnappers to free the priest and "allow him to go back to his charitable work."
In January, militants kidnapped three Red Cross workers, including an Italian and Swiss national, on a remote southern island, but set them free after several months.
— With input from agencies
