Loading player
Luis Manuel Díaz, father of Colombian Liverpool footballer Luis Díaz, has publicly told what happened to him after he was kidnapped by the National Liberation Army (ELN), a guerrilla group active in Colombia. Díaz was kidnapped on October 28 and remained held for almost two weeks before being freed on Thursday.
Díaz said he initially thought the kidnappers would demand a ransom, but his release later occurred without any exchange of money. According to what was declared by the ELN, which claimed responsibility for the incident, Díaz’s kidnapping was “a mistake”.
Díaz had been kidnapped by some armed men near a petrol station in Barrancas, the town in northern Colombia, near the border with Venezuela, where he lives together with his wife, Cilenis Marulanda, who was also held for a few hours and then released . Díaz, who is 58 years old and runs a sports foundation to introduce children to football, said he had to travel a long mountain journey on horseback, in the rain and at the mercy of many insects, without being able to sleep for days.
Colombian police suspect he was kidnapped by members of the local mafia group Los Primos and was later handed over to the ELN. On Saturday he announced that he had arrested four people suspected of being responsible for the kidnapping and that he had dismantled the Los Primos group, in an operation carried out with the help of the British secret services. Díaz said he was treated better after being handed over to the ELN group, who promised him they would free him as soon as possible. “They told me not to worry, that nothing would happen to me, that they knew I was a humble person and appreciated by my fellow villagers for the work I do.”
During a match last Sunday, Luis Díaz had raised his team’s shirt after scoring a goal to show off another, with the words “freedom for dad”.
???? Luis Manuel Díaz, Lucho’s father, has been released today after spending the last 12 days kidnapped in Colombia.
He’s with the police now after being released, as @VickyDavilaH reports.
Wonderful news for Luis Díaz; his dad and mom are finally both free and safe. pic.twitter.com/VjYxPlx60p
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) November 9, 2023
At first the police had suspected a gang of local criminals, but then the government assumed the ELN was responsible. The National Liberation Army is a Marxist-Leninist guerrilla group with around 3,500 members, and is considered the last left-wing armed group still active in Colombia, accused of funding itself through illegal mining operations and drug trafficking. Last June 9, a six-month ceasefire agreement was announced between the Colombian government and the ELN leaders, who had pledged to stop the kidnappings. The agreement is part of a series of delicate peace negotiations desired by President Gustavo Petro and opposed by the opposition: it cannot be ruled out that Díaz’s kidnapping and the international resonance he has had could slow them down.
2023-11-12 16:15:15
#story #kidnapping #Luis #Manuel #Díaz
