BUENOS AIRES – Matias Messi, brother of Barcelona striker Lionel Messi, faces arms charges in Argentina, the Cadena 3 news Web site reported.

Matias Messi refused to allow police to search his Audi A5 and would not show them the vehicle’s documents during a traffic stop on Saturday in the southern city of Rosario, Cadena 3 said.

Officers finally searched the automobile and found a .22-caliber pistol for which Messi did not have a permit and took him to police precinct 16 in Rosario.

The brother of the Barcelona star spent four hours at the precinct before being released.

Matias Messi was involved in a similar incident in October 2008, when he was arrested in Rosario for carrying a handgun in the waistband of his pants.