An Israeli was kidnapped by a gang in Sao Paulo on Tuesday and released hours later for a ransom, according to a Foreign Ministry spokesperson.
The incident was jointly handled by the Israeli consulate in Sao Paulo, the Israelis Abroad Office in the Foreign Ministry's Consular Department, the man's family and the Brazilian police.
The man was kidnapped on Tuesday evening when he went out and caught an Uber. The driver was initially taken captive as well but was later left in an abandoned area. It was the driver who later made the initial report to the police.
How did the Israeli abductee get released?
The man was held for a number of hours in which no contact was made by the abductors, but after a few hours, they called the family and demanded a ransom.
During this time, the abductors managed to withdraw cash using the Israeli man's credit card.
When the police received the report, they tracked the phones used to contact the family which led them to three members of the gang who were then arrested.
The man was ultimately released alive and well after a ransom was paid by his family, who requested that their identity not be made public.
In July, an Israeli businessman was kidnapped in Brazil and released after the Brazilian police geolocated the gang.