Luis Diaz’s father, Luis Manuel Diaz, is RESCUED 12 days after he was kidnapped at gunpoint by guerilla terrorist group ELN from his hometown in Colombia

• Luis Diaz’s father has been rescued after he was kidnapped on October 28
• Terrorist group ELN were behind the abduction but claimed it was a ‘mistake’
• Liverpool’s Luis Diaz is extraordinary – Listen here to It’s All Kicking Off 

Luis Diaz’s father, Luis Manuel Diaz, has been rescued after he was abducted at gun-point on October 28 by left-wing guerrilla group Ejercito de Liberacion Nacional (ELN). 

On Thursday, Colombian news outlet Semana reported that the rescue mission for the footballer’s father, which saw a 9am helicopter flight full of volunteers from the UN and the Catholic Church, was a success.   

Police began preparations for the release of Mr Diaz earlier in the week after he had been held by the guerrilla group for more than seven days. 

The UN and the Church have been working in conjunction with the Colombian government to negotiate Diaz’s freedom.

After footage of a helicopter taking off from Valledupar, a city in northeastern Colombia, emerged from the rescue mission by the UN and the Church, via BluRadio Colombia, Semana went on to confirm his successful release.

Reports in Colombia have said Luis Diaz’s (left) father Luis Manuel (right) has been released

Liverpool star’s mother (in 2019, left centre) has been rescued after the pair were snatched off the streets of Colombia last week, but his father remained with captors until today

Diaz lifted up his Liverpool shirt in his last match, his first game since the kidnapping, to release a message that said in Spanish: ‘Freedom for Papa’ 

Concern grew on Tuesday after there was no sign of the start of ELN’s release process despite measures to facilitate it, with Diaz’s family calling for the group to offer proof that Diaz Snr was still alive. 

But on Wednesday, hope was renewed again as humanitarian groups including representatives from the Catholic Chruch and the United Nations gathered on the Colombian-Venezuelan border after establishing contact with ELN to begin the handover. 

On Thursday morning local time, Semana reported the handover had been a success. 

Members of the police and other special forces had been searching for the Liverpool star’s father since October 28.

His father and mother, Cilenis Marulanda, were abducted from the town of Barrancas in La Guajira, Colombia by the group, before the ELN, who are considered a terrorist organisation by the United States and European Union, fled the scene. 

Reports last Friday had claimed that Diaz’s father would be freed that day, but his release did not materialise.

Juan Carlos Cuellar, a representative of the group, stated in a community meeting that Diaz Snr would be ‘released as soon as possible’.  

On Sunday October 30, it emerged that Diaz’s mother had been rescued after she was left in a car by the guerrilla group, with members of the ELN keeping his father as a captive. 

His mother made her first appearance since the kidnapping last Tuesday, demanding that the abductors release her partner safely before leading hundreds on a march in their home town. 

Luis Diaz had been pictured back in training for the Reds ahead of the clash with Luton, but there was uncertainty over whether he would make an appearance during their 1-1 draw on Sunday amid the ongoing situation. 

Instead, Diaz was included in the squad and came off the bench to score a 95th minute equaliser, to help Klopp’s side secure a draw. 

After scoring, the Colombian forward issued an emotional plea asking for the release of his father. 

He revealed a T-shirt underneath his Liverpool jersey that had the message ‘freedom for papa’ written in Spanish on it. 

His manager and Luton captain Tom Lockyer both embraced the forward at full time, before Diaz issued a statement on social media on the same evening.  

He wrote: ‘This is not Luis Diaz the player speaking. Today I am the son of Luis Manuel Diaz. My dad hard-working family man. 

Diaz came off the bench to salvage a 1-1 draw for Liverpool in stoppage time against Luton

The Guerilla group holding Luis Diaz’s father have vowed to ‘keep their word’ by freeing him

‘I ask the ELN for the prompt release of my father, and I ask international organisations to work together 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 have him back home.

‘I beg you to release him immediately, respecting his integrity and ending this painful wait as soon as possible.

‘In the name of love and compassion, we ask that you reconsider your actions and allow us to recover him.

‘I thank Colombians and the international community for the support received, thank you for so many demonstrations of affection and solidarity in this difficult time that many families in my country find themselves living.’

On Monday, it was reported that the group had vowed ‘to keep their word’ and release his father as soon as ‘security guarantees’ were in place. 

In a statement, which was signed by the guerrilla group’s commander Jose Manuel Martinez Quiroz, the ELN said: ‘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.

Colombian police have been searching for Diaz’s father who was seized at gunpoint on Saturday

The National Liberation Army – abbreviated as ELN in Spanish – is a leftist anti-government group made up of over 2,000 fighters and militants based in the Colombian countryside

It’s been over a week since the parents of Liverpool footballer Luis Diaz were kidnapped by the Colombian Guerilla group ELN

A man is searched at a police checkpoint as the military operation escalates in Barrancas

‘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.’

It was confirmed by the Colombian authorities on Thursday last week that the ELN were behind the abduction, with leader of the Colombian government’s Peace Delegation, Otty Patino, stating: ‘Today we have had official knowledge that the kidnapping was perpetrated by a unit belonging to the ELN.

‘To the ELN, we demand the immediate release of Mr Luis Manuel Diaz and we remind them that it is their responsibility to guarantee his life and integrity. 

‘We remind the ELN that kidnapping is a criminal practice, in violation of International Humanitarian Law.’

The organisation, is a Marxist-Leninist anti-government group that has over 2,000 militants among its ranks based in the countryside of Colombia.

The director general of Colombia’s National Police force, William Rene Salamanca Ramirez, had also directly issued a statement to the Liverpool star stating that the authorities were utilising resources on land, sea and in the air to safely recover his father. 

While officials have continued to search for Diaz’s father, a reward of 200 million Colombian pesos (£40,000) was being offered in return for information on his location. 

Diaz’s mother Cilenis Marulanda (centre) led a community march demanding the release of her husband, Luis Manuel Diaz, on Tuesday

Hundreds of members of the local community joined forces dressed in white holding balloons

Military personnel have been on the ground in Barrancas to speed up his release

The head of the rebel group identified as having taken him released a statement on his capture

The Colombian army have been involved in the search, employing robust tactics to try and locate Diaz Snr. 

It’s been reported that ‘two motorised platoons unmanned aircraft, checkpoints, helicopters, a plane with specialised radar’ had all been deployed in the search.

The Liverpool forward also broke his silence on social media last week shortly after news filtered out about Diaz Snr’s kidnapping, urging members of the public to march in solidarity to demand the release of his father. 

Diaz was also pictured back in training for his side, with Klopp stating on Friday that the Colombian had been training for several days. 

He had missed Liverpool’s previous matches against Nottingham Forest and Bournemouth amid the developing situation. 

Speaking on his emotional tribute to his father after scoring against Luton, Klopp praised the forward and spoke on his embrace with the 26-year-old after the match.

The Liverpool manager said: ‘It’s wonderful, it’s emotional and it’s fantastic but the real problem is not sorted because of that. 

‘We want to give and he wanted to as well, Lucho [Diaz] the opportunity to be a little bit distracted from things.

‘He cannot do anything. He is waiting all the time, the whole family is waiting all the time. He trained a few times with us and was then in a good mood and it’s good for him.

‘The signs from Colombia are rather positive, optimistic but not the one thing we want to hear didn’t happen yet.

‘How was he emotionally afterwards? After the game, there was no words necessary. We just gave each other a hug, that’s all. You know how he is. Ok, but desperately waiting for the right news.

‘I understand 100 per cent it’s a nice story. It is super positive and great for him but these things go by.

‘The real information we need is different information. It [scoring] is a really, really positive thing for him but all the other problems stay the same.’ 

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp embraced Diaz before he came on as a substitute on Sunday

Diaz was not involved in Liverpool’s victories over Nottingham Forest or Bournemouth

But he was pictured back in training for Liverpool last week amid the ongoing situation

After their 1-1 draw to Luton, Jurgen Klopp spoke on his embrace with Diaz and lumped praise on the Liverpool forward 

His team-mate, Allison, added after the match: ‘It says a lot about Diaz’s character, his inner strength. Not many people imagine what he’s going through, we feel his pain but for him it’s a different level. 

‘Football sometimes in the bad moment can bring joy to someone who is struggling. Football is a slice of joy for Lucho in this time. We are with him 100 per cent.

‘Football always surprises in a good way, it happened with me when I was going through a difficult moment. When you are on the pitch you are focused on doing the job.’

‘Really difficult, we had to play against a deep defending team. They did a really good job today. We didn’t play a bad game, we missed some chances. It’s disappointing to not win but we respected the opponent playing bravely on the pitch.’

IT’S ALL KICKING OFF! 

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