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Mexican football star Alan Pulido rescued 24 hours after kidnapping Mexican football star Alan Pulido rescued 24 hours after kidnapping
(about 5 hours later)
The Mexican footballer Alan Pulido has been rescued some 24 hours after being abducted, the Tamaulipas state government said in a statement. The Mexican footballer Alan Pulido, who was kidnapped and held for 24 hours over the weekend, escaped his captors by disarming one of them, taking their mobile phone and notifying the police, according to authorities in Tamaulipas state.
Pulido was rescued at around midnight on Sunday, the statement said, in a joint operation by state and federal security forces. He was undergoing medical examinations.
Tamaulipas state prosecutor Ismael Quintanilla told reporters on Monday morning that Pulido, who was kidnapped on Saturday night, was able to call police and alert them to his whereabouts. Press photos showed Pulido, 25, with a bandaged right hand and wearing mismatched Bermuda shorts and a sleeveless shirt as he spoke with the Tamaulipas governor, Egidio Torre Cantú.
Related: Mexican footballer Alan Pulido's kidnapping sets off massive manhuntRelated: Mexican footballer Alan Pulido's kidnapping sets off massive manhunt
Pulido, a striker who plays for Olympiakos in Greece and has represented Mexico, was abducted after leaving a party with his girlfriend in his hometown of Ciudad Victoria, some 200 miles south of the Texas border. Though information on the vehicle Pulido was driving has not been made public, a state security source told the Guardian he was driving a BMW. Tamaulipas state prosecutor Ismael Quintanilla first said Pulido was rescued at around midnight on Sunday, after he was able to alert authorities to his whereabouts via a mobile phone call.
Family and state officials said his captors intercepted the vehicle, pulled Pulido out by force and fled the scene. Quintanilla later told reporters Pulido had authored his own rescue, then contacted the authorities.
Ciudad Victoria, capital of Tamaulipas, is a city disputed by rival factions of the hyper-violent Los Zetas cartel. Press photos showed Pulido, 25, with a bandaged right hand, reportedly sustained when breaking windows in the house in which he was held. He was expected to speak to the press later on Monday.
The kidnapping of an international footballer attracted worldwide attention and again cast attention on insecurity in Mexico, and especially Tamaulipas, which has been consumed by organized crime over the past six years, as warring drug cartels dispute a territory coveted for carrying contraband to the US. The striker, who plays for Olympiakos in Greece and has represented Mexico but is not in the squad for the forthcoming Copa America, was abducted after leaving a party with his girlfriend in his hometown of Ciudad Victoria, some 200 miles south of the Texas border.
Family and state officials said his captors intercepted the BMW he was driving, pulled Pulido out and fled the scene. Pulido’s girlfriend notified the authorities. Quintanilla said the first call requesting a ransom came at 1.30pm on Sunday, Mexican media reported.
Ciudad Victoria, capital of Tamaulipas, is a city disputed by rival factions of the hyper-violent Los Zetas cartel. Authorities detained a suspect in the Pulido kidnapping, who was accused of belonging to Los Zetas.
The kidnapping of an international footballer attracted worldwide attention and again cast attention on insecurity in Mexico, and especially Tamaulipas, which has been consumed by organized crime over the past six years, as warring drug cartels dispute a territory coveted for the carrying of contraband to the US.
Tamaulipas leads the country in kidnapping, according to federal government statistics. The online news organization Animal Politico reported that the incidence of abduction in the city has increased 360% between 2010 and 2015.Tamaulipas leads the country in kidnapping, according to federal government statistics. The online news organization Animal Politico reported that the incidence of abduction in the city has increased 360% between 2010 and 2015.
“The little news [on security] that comes out of Victoria and other crime-ridden cities in Tamaulipas is very watered down, since criminal groups have muzzled the press,” said Jorge Kawas, a security analyst based in the city of Monterrey. “The little news [on security] that comes out of Victoria and other crime-ridden cities in Tamaulipas is very watered down, since criminal groups have muzzled the press,” said Jorge Kawas, a security analyst based in Monterrey.
Kawas said official statistics were low, as most kidnappings remained unreported and families expressed fears that the police are sometimes complicit. An annual victimization survey from the Mexican statistics survey INEGI estimated the number of kidnappings nationwide in 2014 at between 83,000 and 116,000. Kawas said official statistics were low, as most kidnappings remained unreported and families expressed fears that police are sometimes complicit. An annual victimization survey from the Mexican statistics survey INEGI estimated the number of kidnappings nationwide in 2014 at between 83,000 and 116,000.
Mexicans reacted with relief to news of the rescue of Pulido, whose kidnapping was considered so sensitive that no mention of it was made during the Mexican league’s championship match in Monterrey on Sunday.Mexicans reacted with relief to news of the rescue of Pulido, whose kidnapping was considered so sensitive that no mention of it was made during the Mexican league’s championship match in Monterrey on Sunday.
The speed of his rescue also raised uncomfortable questions on social media sites, where some wondered how Pulido was found so quickly in a country with countless victims and in a state that will hold elections on 5 June, which could replace the party in power for the first time in 86 years. The speed of the rescue also raised uncomfortable questions on social media sites, where some wondered how Pulido was found so quickly in a country with countless victims and in a state that will hold elections on 5 June, which could replace the party in power for the first time in 86 years.
“Alan Pulido was victim of the most inept kidnappers on the planet or there is something that they haven’t wanted to reveal,” tweeted Alejandro Hope, a Mexican security analyst. “When we knew who it was we knew that it was going to generate a lot of pressure,” Quintanilla said, according to Animal Politico.
Security analysts expressed incredulity.
Kawas said: “I’ve never heard of authorities acting so fast and coordinated to solve any problem, let alone a kidnapping.”
Another analyst, Alejandro Hope, tweeted: “Alan Pulido was victim of the most inept kidnappers on the planet or there is something that they haven’t wanted to reveal.”