Hundreds of people have marched on the streets of Colombia to demand the safe return of Liverpool star Luis Diaz’s kidnapped father.
The Colombian international’s parents were arrested on Saturday by gunmen on motorbikes while buying watermelon at a gas station in their hometown of Barrancas, La Guajira.
His mother, Cilenis Marulanda, was quickly rescued by police in a “blockade operation”, but his father, Luis Manuel Diaz, remains missing and may have crossed the border into Venezuela illegally.
Reds winger Diaz has been persuaded not to return to his homeland due to concerns for his safety, but he is receiving regular updates from authorities.
The 26-year-old took to social media on Tuesday to urge people to join a public march in Colombia to highlight his father’s plight and plead with his kidnappers to “free him right now”.
National Police Director General William Rene Salamanca joins patrols in the Perija mountains in the north of the country amid fears that Luis Manuel may have been taken to the border with Venezuela, but the latest information for I see you’re still in Colombia.
The Army set up roadblocks, deployed helicopters, a radar-equipped plane and two mechanized platoons to help locate Diaz’s father.
There is also a reward of £40,000 for information leading to his safe return.
New kidnapping information said that after the “lockdown operation” to save Diaz’s mother, the gunmen abandoned the stolen car and continued riding on 3 motorbikes, of which 2 were stolen.
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Diaz would have been in the Liverpool squad that beat Nottingham Forest 3-0 at Anfield on Sunday, but the striker was replaced by Diogo Jota, who raised his shirt in support of his teammate after scoring open the score.
Speaking ahead of Liverpool’s Caraboa Cup match with AFC Bournemouth on Wednesday, assistant manager Lijnders provided an update on how the club are trying to help Diaz.
“He is an incredible player, everyone can see that.
Then you see him in the building, he’s the one who’s always smiling.
We really care about him,” Lijnders said.
“We hope the authorities can find his father, we pray for that.
As long as we do right by him, he is one of us.
“The team responded brilliantly by putting on their jerseys, and the reaction from the stadium was a special moment.
Our motto is You will never walk alone.
So we just pray for a good situation.
