A newspaper in northern Mexico says five of its non-editorial employees were kidnapped briefly and released hours later.

The Siglo de Torreon said on its Internet site that the abductions reflected the lack of security for newspaper employees in the violence-plagued region around the city of Torreon.

The paper said abductors took two people who operated its online services, two employees of the advertising department and one administrative employee. It said the workers were released early Friday, but that for security reasons, it would not give any further details on the incident.

Mexican newspapers and journalists have been subject to frequent attacks. But the Torreon newspaper said the abduction of non-journalists was a new and worrisome trend.