By Marlon Ramos
Philippine Daily Inquirer
MANILA, Philippines—Interior Secretary Ronaldo Puno Tuesday claimed that members of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) were behind the abduction of Fr. Michael Sinnott, thus slamming the door on the separatist group’s offer to help free the Irish missionary.
“It is clear to us that the kidnappers are either directly connected to or very closely associated with the MILF,†Puno said at a news briefing in Camp Crame national police headquarters.
Asked to elaborate, he said: “In the process of the case buildup, the identities of the kidnappers started to surface and a great majority of them are actually identified as members of the MILF 113th Base Command.â€
Puno said the MILF group that seized the 79-year-old Sinnott in Pagadian City on Oct. 11 was led by one Al Ashree.
The kidnapping was “compartmentalized,†meaning various individuals took part in the missionary’s abduction and transfer from Pagadian to the forested area where he is now being held by another group from the same MILF unit, Puno said.
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