Mother of Brazilian soccer star rescued from kidnappers

RIO DE JANEIRO — Police in Brazil’s southern state of Rio Grande do Sul said Tuesday that the mother of a famous soccer star was rescued from kidnappers.

Civil Police official Rafael Lopez said that Rosangela Freda, the mother of Brazilian striker Taison, was found in a rural area near the town of Monte Bonito.

Freda was kidnapped a day prior when she unknowingly opened a door for criminals who came to her house with a bouquet of flowers. The armed assailants took her into a vehicle and fled.

Lopez said the rescue operation was carried out by military police who recognized the kidnappers’ vehicle and tracked it down.