Three men were arrested in Sao Paulo on Wednesday after taking seven people hostage, including three minors and the mother of Zaragoza soccer forward Ewerthon, Brazilian police said.

The men invaded the player's family home on Tuesday night in Jardim Sao Paulo, north of Sao Paulo city, and neighbors swiftly called the police, who surrounded the house. Once surrounded, the assailants gave themselves up for arrest.

Ewerton, who was in Spain, where he plays for Spanish league team Zaragoza, due to play in a King's Cup game on Wednesday, was kept informed and live through a night of tension.

The police said they still had not discovered if the gunmen planned to rob the house or kidnap the footballer's family.

Two years ago, Brazil suffered a wave of kidnappings, which mostly targeted the mothers of famous players. The most dramatic was the kidnap of Marina Souza, the mother of Robson de Souza, who plays for Real Madrid, who was held for 41 days and only released on payment of a ransom just before Christmas 2004.

Source: Xinhua