- According to reports, Luis Diaz’s father could be freed from his kidnappers
- Colombia’s president says kidnappers ‘couldn’t free him’
- Big debates about Liverpool, Man United and Arsenal on the It’s All Kicking Off podcast.
Colombian President Gustavo Petro said the kidnappers of Liverpool star Luis Diaz’s father had reneged on their promise to release him and his situation had become “very dangerous”.
The left-wing insurgent group ELN, designated a terrorist organization by the US government and the EU, was identified on Thursday as the organization responsible for the kidnapping of Luis Manuel Diaz.
A guerrilla fighter, known only by her pseudonym Patricia, who heads an ELN regional unit called the Northern War Front, orchestrated the crime, Colombian media reported earlier Friday.
The ELN, which is currently holding peace talks with the government after declaring a ceasefire in its long-running war against the Colombian state, had promised to secure the release of 58-year-old Mr. Diaz within hours of identifying the culprits.
During an official visit to the United States, Mr. Petro said from Washington: “The authorship of the ELN means that today the ELN is responsible for the life of Luis Diaz’s father.”
Colombian President Gustavo Petro said the kidnappers had reneged on their promise to release Luis Diaz’s father
Reports from Colombia suggested that Diaz’s (left) father Luis Manuel (right) could be released in the next few hours
The Liverpool star’s mother (above in 2019, left centre) was rescued after the pair were kidnapped on the streets of Colombia last week, but his father’s whereabouts are still unknown
“You have committed an act that contradicts the peace process.”
“I must express my deepest rejection, not only because I kidnapped Luis’ father, but also because they subsequently failed to free him.”
“The ELN leaders have expressed a strong desire to release him as quickly as possible.”
“But the hours pass, and as time goes on, the situation in which Mr. Diaz finds himself becomes more dangerous.”
Mr Petro revealed on Thursday that he had personally spoken to the Liverpool player to reassure him about the government’s efforts to free his father.
The soccer player spoke to the director of the Colombian National Police shortly after his father was kidnapped from his hometown of Barrancas on Saturday.
After the kidnapping, members of the Colombian army searched the population at checkpoints in Barrancas, La Guajira
The director of the Colombian National Police had also spoken to Diaz and said every effort was being made to find his father
Colombian police have been searching for Diaz’s father, who was arrested at gunpoint on Saturday
Following last weekend’s hijacking, operations were carried out by land, air and sea
Luis Diaz’s mother Cilenis Marulanda (center) led a community march on Tuesday demanding the release of her husband Luis Manuel Diaz
Hundreds of local community members dressed in white banded together, holding balloons
Diaz (left) was pictured training for Liverpool on Friday amid the current situation
Colombia’s National Police Director General William Rene Salamanca Ramirez told the distraught striker that every effort was being made to find the missing 58-year-old.
After the Colombian government confirmed on Thursday evening that the ELN was behind the kidnapping, Mr Petro confirmed that he had spoken to the footballer.
On his official Twitter page, he said: “We spoke to Luis Diaz yesterday.” “We are committed to freeing his father.”
Luis Diaz’s mother, Cilenis Marulanda, was also kidnapped on Saturday but abandoned by her captors hours later as the police and army hunt for those responsible intensified.
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