MANILA - The group holding Father Michael Sinnott has asked for a $2-million ransom for the release of the abducted Irish missionary priest, Armed Forces spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Romeo Brawner said Saturday.
According to Brawner, Sinnott himself disclosed the information about the ransom being demanded by his abductors in a video that surfaced Saturday afternoon.
In the video, he said, the kidnapped priest identified the leader of his abductors as one Abu Jandal.
Brawner said the authorities still have to check if Jandal belongs to the al Qaeda-linked Abu Sayyaf bandit group.
The video, he said, was vital proof of the condition of the Columban priest.
“I don’t know how exactly the video was acquired, but it’s confirmed that there’s a video showing Fr. Sinnott alive,” he said in a mobile phone interview.
Brawner said the video showed the abducted priest holding a copy of the Inquirer apparently to prove that it was taken recently.
Brawner, however, could not give the date on the newspaper that Sinnott was holding as he has not personally seen the video.
He said the information about the existence of the video first came from a media report.
Said Brawner: “Our intelligence unit in the area confirmed that there was a video of Sinnott.”
A military official who saw the video said the Catholic priest “looks weak.”
Asked if the video was also given to members of the crisis management committee handling Sinnott’s case, Brawner replied: “Yes. I believe so.”
He said the Armed Forces would wait for the recommendation of the crisis committee before ordering any military action in connection with the Sinnott abduction.
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