Mexican international footballer Alan Pulido has been freed following his abduction in the country at the weekend.
ADVERTISEMENTMexican international footballer Alan Pulido has been freed following his abduction in the country at the weekend.
He is said to be safe and well, although the 25-year-old appeared with a bandaged hand at a brief news conference.
“The most important thing is that he is here with us,” Tamaulipas Governor Egidio Torre Cantu told reporters in footage broadcast on local television.
He was flanked by Pulido who said he was “very well”.
Local media reports said the striker was seized by armed men in his hometown of Ciudad Victoria in the northeastern state of Tamaulipas after leaving a party on Saturday night. His girlfriend was unharmed.
Gunmen, in several trucks, are said to have intercepted his car. His girlfriend was left unharmed.
A special operation was mounted to find the player in what is one of the most violent states in Mexico, a country where kidnappings are rife.
Outside Mexico, he plays for the Greek team Olympiakos which has thanked everyone for their “concern and prayers”.
1/2 Alan is safe and healthy with his family. pic.twitter.com/6YlypMnc9z
— Olympiacos FC (@olympiacos_org) 30 mai 2016
2/2 We thank each and everyone of you for your concern and prayers in these difficult times. #olympiacos#pulido
— Olympiacos FC (@olympiacos_org) 30 mai 2016
Pulido has made several appearances for Mexico’s national team. He was a member of the squad that went to the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.
Mexico has one of the world’s highest kidnapping rates. The government says around 1,000 people are abducted every year.