Mother of Brazil World Cup Footballer Taison Released After Armed Kidnapping

Rosangela Freda, the mother of Brazil and Shakhtar Donetsk footballer Taison, has been released after she was kidnapped by an armed gang on Monday.

As reported by Dom Phillips of The Guardian, she was abducted from her home in Brazil after being lured to the security gates by a man posing as a delivery driver with some flowers, before being taken away in a car to a hideout in Monte Bonito.

Police were able to discover the place Freda was being held after the vehicle was spotted, prompting one man to flee; four were then arrested at the scene.

"She is well," said detective Rafael Lopes following the release, per Phillips. "Apart from the fright, there is no injury."

The moment the kidnap took place was recorded on security footage at Freda's home, per Sky News (warning: some may find the video upsetting):

As noted in the report, Freda was found with her hands bound at the kidnappers' hideout. The authorities also found a revolver, a shotgun, cocaine and marijuana on the scene.

Lopes noted that kidnapping is not a common crime in the Pelotas region, where the incident took place, stating, "I have been in the police here for eight years and it has never happened." Per Phillips, improved policing and advances in CCTV are said to have played a part in that reduction.

Taison was recently part of the Brazil squad for the 2018 FIFA World Cup, although he didn't feature at the finals as the Selecao faltered at the quarter-final stage. The 30-year-old has eight caps in total for the national team.

The forward has been playing his domestic football in Ukraine for the previous six years. After a three-year stint at Metalist Kharkiv, he moved to Shakhtar, where he has been key to the team winning three league titles.