Abducted Mexican journalist found alive

A well-known Mexican journalist who was abducted earlier this week was found alive and well on Wednesday, authorities said.

Jaime Barrera, a 56-year-old radio and television host, said after his release that the kidnappers wanted to intimidate him because of his work.

The state prosecutor's office in the western state of Jalisco said that it was continuing its investigation to identify those responsible after Barrera was found "in good health."

Barrera was snatched on Monday afternoon after leaving a broadcaster where he works in the city of Guadalajara in the western state of Jalisco.

"It was a long, terrible odyssey, but fortunately it ended well," he said following his release, without identifying the kidnappers.

"It was a kind of warning, about what I write, what I say," he told the local media company Grupo Formula.

Barrera said that he was driven to an unknown location by his abductors, who made thinly veiled threats against this family.

"I was in captivity, blindfolded, with my hands tied, kneeling in a place where you couldn't see," he said.

He was later transferred to another place and finally released by his kidnappers early Wednesday morning in a town northwest of Guadalajara, he said.

Mexico is one of the world's most dangerous countries for the press, though according to Barrera's family, he had not previously received threats or reported any problems related to his journalism.

Barrera is the host of a news program on a local Televisa channel and a commentator on a political opinion program on Channel 44, associated with the University of Guadalajara.

Since 2000, more than 150 journalists have been murdered in Mexico, according to media rights group Reporters Without Borders.