Luis Diaz issues first public remarks following the abduction of his parents
Throughout the weekend, armed gunmen abducted the Colombian’s parents.
Police eventually found Diaz’s mother, but her father is still unaccounted for.
Liverpool forward posts a message on Instagram requesting his quick release.
After his father was abducted by armed gunmen over the weekend, Luis Diaz took to social media to demand his quick release.
Cilenis Marulanda, Diaz’s mother, was also kidnapped in the town of Barrancas, but she was eventually freed by the police.
It is thought that Diaz’s father was taken to a hilly area in the country’s north, and the Colombian army is helping law enforcement in their search for him. Nonetheless, the potential that he has been smuggled into neighboring Venezuela over the border has not been ruled out by officials.
El Tiempo reports that the mission, which involves the employment of a Black Hawk helicopter and an airplane fitted with heat-detection sensors, is being assisted by 230 special police and army commandos.
A banner for the event was published on Instagram by the Liverpool forward, Diaz, and there was a march in Barrancas demanding Diaz’s father’s instant release. Hundreds of people shown their support and solidarity by taking to the streets with the sign “free him now” in tow.
The deputy director of the Colombian National Police, General Alejandro Zapata, has hinted that those who might have been involved in the kidnapping scheme have been recognized by security cameras. However, he has also disclosed the difficulty of the search because the abductors might have crossed the border.
He stated (via Semana) that “we have clarity of people who could have been linked to the event.” “When incidents like these happen, they are usually not unplanned; there is usually forethought involved. We are looking into the possibility that individuals pull victims to a location in order for others to find them.
We do not currently have any evidence that suggests that the border has been crossed; however, we do know that the kidnapping takes place in La Guajira, which makes sense given its proximity to the border. Although we can’t be positive, we also don’t rule it out. It’s conceivable that they’re hoping to go away to that location.
“We have made progress in the investigation, there are personnel from the Gaula and the Intelligence and Judicial Police who are analysing that information.”
The club gave Diaz, 26, compassionate leave, so he missed Liverpool’s 3-0 Premier League victory over Nottingham Forest at the weekend. He isn’t anticipated to play in their Carabao Cup match against Bournemouth either, although he may stay in England because of concerns for his safety, according to sources.