The older brother of Barcelona and Argentina star Lionel Messi has been released from house arrest after paying a 100,000-euro bond, Argentinian media said Tuesday.

Matias Messi, 35, was sentenced to house arrest in his hometown in Rosario, 300 kilometers (190 miles) north of Buenos Aires, last week for possession of a gun.

The detention came after he was found in a drifting and blood-stained motorboat on November 30, apparently after hitting a sandbar. Police found a pistol hidden on board the boat.

It was the second time the star's brother had been arrested for possession of a firearm. The offense carries a jail sentence of between three-and-a-half and eight years.

The conditions of his bail mean that he can move freely around Argentina but cannot leave the country.

Source: AFP