After nearly two weeks in captivity at the hands of the National Liberation Army (ELN), Luis Diaz’s father, the father of Liverpool star Luis Diaz, has been released.
Luis Manuel Diaz was freed on Thursday and is currently under the care of a humanitarian commission comprising the United Nations and the Catholic Church, as reported by Blu Radio.
The armed group delivered Luis Manuel Díaz to a humanitarian commission consisting of the Ombudsman’s Office, the United Nations, the Catholic Church, and a Red Cross delegation, as reported by El Tiempo.
Diaz senior will be transported by helicopter, and in the upcoming hours, he will reunite with his family, who are already celebrating his release in their hometown of La Guajira.
The Colombian Episcopal Conference has shared a picture of Luis Manuel on social media following his release.
They posted: “We thank God for the release of Mr. Luis Diaz! With him are already Mons. Francisco Ceballos, bishop of Riohacha and Mons. Hector Henao, delegate for Church-State relations, who formed the humanitarian commission in charge of facilitating his release.”
Luis Diaz’s father faced a harrowing experience starting on October 28 when he and his wife, Cilenis Marulanda, were intercepted by armed individuals on motorcycles and taken captive.
While Cilenis Marulanda was released within hours, the quest for Manuel Diaz persisted until the Colombian government identified members of the ELN as the perpetrators.
The guerrilla faction later pledged to promptly release the father of the Colombian international, indicating that they were unaware of his identity during the abduction.
A statement read: “The Northern War Front has commands with economic missions and one of them carries out a privation of freedom, which, after being reported and verified that it is the father of Lucho Diaz, is guided by his release because he is a family member of the great sportsman that we all love as Colombians.”
“From that moment on, the release process begins and we want to avoid any incident. Firm in the search for the paths of peace, with the necessary transformations that the country needs.”
A leader of the group also admitted that kidnapping Luis Manuel was “a mistake”, adding: “Luis is a symbol of Colombia and we feel him as such in the ELN”.
Despite the ongoing situation, Luis Diaz made a comeback for Liverpool on Sunday, entering as a substitute to score a late equalizer against Luton Town, securing a 1-1 draw. He marked the goal celebration by revealing a message under his jersey that read: ‘Freedom for papa.’
The Colombian forward is set to begin for Liverpool in the Europa League against Toulouse on Thursday.