Luis Diaz’s father released 12 days after being kidnapped in Colombia The father of Liverpool forward Luis Diaz, Luis Manuel Diaz, has been released, 12 days after he was kidnapped in Colombia
The father of Liverpool star Luis Diaz is believed to have been returned safely back to his family after almost two weeks as a hostage.
Luis Manuel Diaz was kidnapped on Saturday October 28 along with his wife, Clienis Marulanda, in their homeland by armed men on motorcycles.
Mrs Marulanda was found shaken but safe hours later but Mr Diaz has remained with the kidnappers since and a huge search and rescue mission involving well over 200 members of the police force has been underway for close to a fortnight.
The Diaz family’s van was ambushed at a petrol station by four armed men on motorcycles. From there ‘operation padlock’ was launched by the police to return the Liverpool attacker’s parents and after the roads out of La Guajira were closed to deny the exit of the assailants, Mrs Marulanda was eventually found in the Carretalito district.
His release comes after Colombian government’s Peace Delegation identified the National Liberation Army (ELN) as those responsible for his capture and demanded the long-standing rebel group free the 58-year-old with the “responsibility to guarantee his life and integrity.”
As a result of the situation with his parents, Diaz missed two Liverpool games. The Colombian had been set to start against Nottingham Forest at Anfield but left the team hotel after club officials became aware of the issue occurring in the player’s homeland.
Taking his place for the Premier League encounter on October 29, Diogo Jota paid tribute to Diaz after opening the scoring at Anfield in the 3-0 win as he held aloft a shirt with ‘Diaz 7’ on the back as part of his celebration.
Diaz was also absent for the 2-1 Carabao Cup victory at Bournemouth. But he returned with a goalscoring cameo from the bench against Luton Town at the weekend – helping secure a 1-1 draw for the Reds.
After netting the equaliser, Diaz revealed a message under his shirt which said, ‘libertad para papa’ (freedom for dad). Posting on social media after the match, he added: “Today the footballer is not talking to you, today Lucho Diaz, the son of Luis Manuel Diaz, is talking to you. Manuel, my dad, is a tireless worker, our pillar in the family and he is kidnapped. I ask the ELN for the prompt release of my father, and I ask international organisations to intervene for his freedom.
“Every second, every minute our anguish grows. My mother, my brothers and I are desperate, distressed and without words to describe what we are feeling.
“This suffering will only end when we get him back home. I ask you to release him immediately, respecting his integrity and ending this as soon as possible. In the name of love and compassion, we ask that you reconsider your actions and allow us to take him back.
“I thank Colombians and the international community for the support received. Thank you for so many expressions of affection and solidarity in this difficult time that we, and many families, in my country are experiencing.”
By Monday, a message had also emerged from the rebel group themselves. The ELN claimed their hostage was “not at risk” – but called for “security guarantees” to ensure a peaceful handover.
A statement that was signed by unit leader, Commander Jose Manuel Martinez Quiroz, read: “On November 2, we informed the country of the decision to release Mr Luis Manuel Diaz, father of the player Luis Diaz. From that date, we began the process to accomplish this as soon as possible. We are making efforts to avoid incidents with government forces.
“The area is still militarised, they are carrying out flyovers, disembarking troops, broadcasting and offering rewards as part of an intense search operation. This situation is not allowing for the execution of the release plan quickly and safely, where Mr. Luis Manuel Diaz is not at risk.
“If operations continue in the area, they will delay the release and increase the risks. We understand the anguish of the Diaz-Marulanda family, to whom we say that we will keep our word to release him unilaterally, as soon as we have security guarantees for the development of the liberation operation.”
The Colombian military responded by withdrawing soldiers from the search area.
Coronel Giovanni Montanez confirmed the withdrawal of soldiers as part of the conditions for the release of Diaz Snr, saying: “The troops that are taking part in the search operation for Luis Manuel Diaz are being ordered to carry out a repositioning to give guarantees for the handover of this hostage.
“Men who were on the ground and leading searches and conducting roadblocks have been removed from the area. They are now in Barrancas and we can state that the area in question is free of any type of offensive operation.”
Earlier this week, Diaz’s family demanded that ELN provide proof that Luis Manuel Diaz was still alive.
Diaz Snr’s brother, Gabi, told Colombian media, quoted by the Daily Mail: “What we would most like is to have that proof by seeing him and knowing what situation our brother, our relative, our papa, our son is in, because my father is here and wants to see his son.”
Meanwhile, the Liverpool winger’s cousin, Luis Alfonso Diaz, told Colombian state broadcaster RNC: “We are asking the ELN to send us proof of how Luis Manuel is now so we can have some peace of mind.”
Today, video reports from Colombia showed members of the United Nations humanitarian mission and the Catholic Church boarding a civil helicopter before another clip was shared of it taking off into the sky.
Colombian radio station BluRadio said: “The process of liberating Luis Diaz’s father began. The helicopter takes off, heading to a point between the departments of La Guajira and Cesar, where the ELN guerrillas would hand over the kidnapped person.”
