The father of Liverpool winger Luis Diaz, who was abducted in Colombia on Saturday along with his wife, who has since been freed, is the subject of a major search.
Although police have not disclosed many specifics on the inquiry, the following is what is known:
The abduction
According to Colombian media, armed men riding motorbikes abducted Luis Manuel Diaz and Cilenis Marulanda on Saturday at a petrol station in the town of Barrancas, where the Indigenous family hails from, close to the Venezuelan border.
In the area, AFP has confirmed the location of a security camera that captured footage of a luxury pickup vehicle and a motorcycle.
President Gustavo Petro announced hours after the footballer’s kidnapping that her mother had been freed, but her husband remained missing.
At least 200 police officers, soldiers, commandos, cartographers, judicial police, and pilots of specialised search and rescue planes are involved in the search.
Attorney General Francisco Barbosa stated during a press conference on Sunday that the missing guy “may be” in Venezuela, but he did not elaborate.
The investigation
General William Salamanca, the head of police, stated on Monday that his staff was gathering information “house by house” as they swept the area.
A $48,000 reward has been offered by the police for information leading to Diaz’s location.
“We possess details about individuals who might have been connected to the incident. General Nicolas Zapata, the deputy head of police, told reporters, “There was planning.”
The head of the special military force guarding against kidnapping and extortion, Colonel Giovanni Montanez, stated to Blu Radio that “so far no demands have been made.” There have been no calls regarding ransom.
According to Salamanca, Colombia is working with the Interpol office in Venezuela to coordinate the search.
Armed groups
With 38,000 residents, Barrancas is located in a region of northern Colombia known to be home to criminal organisations, right-wing paramilitary forces, ex-FARC insurgents, and ELN guerrillas.
According to Montanez, Diaz’s mother was unable to divulge “anything in particular” regarding her captors following her recovery.
Approximately 38,000 kidnappings have occurred in Colombia during the country’s six decades of civil conflict, primarily by armed organisations who use ransom money to fund their activities.
Luis Manuel Diaz: who is he?
At the one and only football school in Barrancas, where his son displayed promise from an early age, the elder Diaz was once an amateur coach.
He is known for having contributed to the quick ascent of “Lucho,” the Colombian striker for Liverpool and the first Indigenous person to reach the highest levels of professional football.
Leonardo Diaz, 41 (no relation), a resident of his hometown, told AFP he was “sad and dismayed” by the kidnapping of a man he called “a humble person of the people.”
The younger Diaz, who joined Liverpool last year from Portuguese club Porto, has made 43 appearances for his country.
With Liverpool, he has participated in 11 games and netted three goals.
