The captors of Luis Diaz have promised to “release him,” but they demand “security guarantees” before they can comply, so efforts to secure his father’s safe release are still ongoing.
More than a week has passed since Diaz’s parents were abducted in Colombia; although his mother was located a few hours later, the hunt and negotiations for his father’s release are still ongoing.
After scoring the equalizer against Luton, the Liverpool winger—who had not played a game before the unthinkable—returned to the field and showed off a note underneath his shirt that said, “FREEDOM FOR DAD” in English.
Later on, he issued a statement to send a message to the rebel group ELN, who were kidnapping his father, requesting his “prompt release.”
A few days prior, the National Liberation Army of Colombia (ELN) had promised an immediate release; however, they have now clarified that this has not been possible because to “militarized” operations in the region.
“On November 2, we informed the country of the decision to release Mr. Luis Manuel Diaz, father of the player Luis Diaz,” the ELN said in a statement obtained by the Colombian publication Semana.
We started the procedure to do this as quickly as feasible on that day. We are working to prevent conflicts with government personnel.
“As part of a vigorous search operation, the area is still militarized; flyovers, troop disembarkation, broadcasting, and reward offerings are all being conducted.”
“The current state of affairs is impeding the timely and safe implementation of the release plan, which would not put Mr. Luis Manuel Diaz in danger.
The release will be delayed and the risks will rise if operations in the region go on.
“We acknowledge the suffering of the Diaz-Marulanda family, and we pledge to honor our promise to release him on our own initiative as soon as we obtain security guarantees for the advancement of the liberation effort.”
As efforts to reunite the Diaz family continue, over 130 skilled professionals have been participating in the ground and aerial search.
Although Diaz’s goalscoring comeback at Luton elicited an emotional outburst, Klopp emphasized that while it was a “wonderful moment,” the most important thing was that “his father gets released.”