Abducted Kiwi athlete safe in Toronto

Kidnapped Kiwi athlete Jason Lee and his partner are now safe in Toronto after a harrowing week in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Two military police officers kidnapped Lee over the weekend, forcing him into an unmarked car and making him withdraw 2000 reais (NZ$850) from ATMs. Police from the same branch then visited his apartment in what he described as an attempt to intimidate him. Two officers have since been taken into custody.

In their first interview since leaving Brazil, Lee and his partner, Fairfax journalist Laura McQuillan, revealed what sent them packing so fast – a second visit by police to their home.

‘‘The impetus for us leaving the country was when the military police visited our house again just before midnight,’’ Lee, a ju-jitsu champion, said.

A military police officer appeared out of the blue at the couple’s apartment soon after they reported the incident to a different branch of police – who promised not to share their details.

‘‘There was no contact with us prior to their arrival, or to the civil police, or NZ embassy. It was totally out of the blue,’’ McQuillan, a journalist for Stuff, said.

The kidnapping was terrifying for Lee. ‘‘I don’t think I’ve ever felt like I could possibly die,’’ he said on Monday.

Lee sent McQuillan voice messages from his phone during the kidnapping, eventually dropping a GPS pin at the base where he was forced into an unmarked car.

‘‘When he told me they had taken him to a police base – I mean, you don’t know if they are going to take him out back and beat him up, or do something than worse than beat him up,’’ she said.

Lee was asked to appear at a military police tribunal in Rio but refused. Local media nevertheless reported that he had appeared – the couple suspect the information was prematurely leaked.

Brazilian authorities will allow Lee to testify by video link.

The couple had lived in Rio for almost a year, and are unhappy about leaving, especially just before the Olympics.