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Alan Pulido: Freed Mexico footballer is 'safe and sound' | |
(about 5 hours later) | |
International football player Alan Pulido is "safe and sound" after police rescued him from kidnappers who seized him in north-eastern Mexico. | |
Pulido, 25, was abducted at gunpoint on Saturday night in his home town of Ciudad Victoria in Tamaulipas state. | |
The striker, who plays for Greek team Olympiakos, phoned police while his captors were distracted, officials say. | |
A 38-year-old man has been arrested. Officials say he confessed to belonging to a local criminal gang. | |
Police are searching for another three men believed to have been involved in the kidnapping. | |
Pulido's car was surrounded by several vehicles as he was leaving a party with his girlfriend on Saturday night. | |
Masked men took him away, leaving his girlfriend unharmed in the car park where the incident took place. | |
Pulido's family received a phone call on Sunday demanding a ransom payment, state prosecutor Ismael Quintanilla told journalists. | |
It is not clear whether the family were planning to meet the kidnappers' demands or how big the ransom demand was. | |
Mr Quintanilla said that the security forces were able to locate Pulido thanks to the phone call he managed to make to police. | |
He said no shots had been fired and Pulido only sustained a minor injury. | |
One of his hands bandaged, Pulido told reporters early hours on Monday: "[I am] very well, thank God.' | |
Tamaulipas is one of Mexico's most violent states, and Mexico recently deployed more security forces to tackle cartels operating in the area. | Tamaulipas is one of Mexico's most violent states, and Mexico recently deployed more security forces to tackle cartels operating in the area. |
The country has one of the world's highest kidnapping rates, with government figures saying some 1,000 people are abducted every year. | The country has one of the world's highest kidnapping rates, with government figures saying some 1,000 people are abducted every year. |
Others argue that the true figure could be almost 10 times as high. | Others argue that the true figure could be almost 10 times as high. |
Pulido joined Olympiakos last July and finished the season with six goals in 15 games. | Pulido joined Olympiakos last July and finished the season with six goals in 15 games. |
He was part of Mexico's squad at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, but was not called up for the upcoming Copa America tournament. | He was part of Mexico's squad at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, but was not called up for the upcoming Copa America tournament. |