The teenage brother of Wilson Palacios, the Birmingham City and Honduras midfield player, has been kidnapped by an armed gang, the Midlands club confirmed today.

Edwin René Palacios, 15, was abducted from his home in La Ceiba, about 350km north of Tegucigalpa, on the Central American country’s east coast. It was not known whether a ransom had been demanded, Hector Iván Mejía, a spokesman for the Public Safety Department, added.

A statement released by Birmingham today said: “The matter is being dealt with capably by the Honduran police, therefore Wilson is staying in the UK in the hope that his brother will be returned to his family soon.

“Wilson has the club’s permission to return back to Honduras at any time, if he so wishes."

Wilson Palacios, who moved to Birmingham on loan from Olimpia in August, has played five games this season in the Barclays Premier League, the last a 3-2 win over Wigan Athletic on Saturday, and also appeared in the 3-0 Carling Cup defeat by Blackburn Rovers.

Such a crime is not without precedent in Honduras, where there have been 33 kidnappings already this year. In December 2002, Henry Suazo, the the brother of David Suazo, the Inter Milan and Honduras striker, was abducted. Henry, who played in the domestic league for Marathon, was released after two weeks.