Colombian police search forest for Luis Diaz’s father after kidnapping
Colombian police have confirmed they are searching a forest in a bid to find Luis Diaz’s father, who was abducted recently.
Both of Diaz’s parents were kidnapped over the weekend, with national authorities confirming that the abduction occurred when the pair were stopped by gunmen on motorbikes near the border with Venezuela.
Diaz’s mother, Cilenis Marulanda, was rescued over the weekend, however the 26-year-old’s father is still missing. The Colombian army have since been drafted in to aid the search for Diaz’s father, a move that was confirmed by the Colombian attorney general’s office.
A spokesperson said: „From the moment when Colombia’s General Prosecutor’s Office learned of the kidnapping of the parents of Colombian player Luis Diaz in the Barrancas area of La Guajira, a specialist team of prosecutors, CTI (Technical Investigation Team) officials and investigators from the police and military have been taking urgent action to locate these individuals, clarify the chain of events and identify the culprits.“
Colombia’s Interior Minister Luis Fernando Velasc stated that the kidnappers had taken Diaz’s father to a mountainous region in the north of Colombia, where the search has since continued.
Patrols are now searching that area for Diaz’s father, however officials have also not ruled out that he could have been smuggled over the border and into Venezuela.
Speaking after Liverpool’s win over Nottingham Forest on Sunday, manager Jurgen Klopp was keen to offer his support to Diaz, saying: „It’s a situation we can’t even imagine if we [have not gone] through that same situation. All we can say is we are here for him and hopefully the things work out well in the end.
„It was clear we have to give the game an extra sense and it was fighting for Lucho, then the boys put out the shirt and I was not 100 per cent prepared for that to be honest. It was really touching but wonderful as well. So, yeah, that’s it.“
A $48,000 (£39,000) reward has been offered up for any information that may help authorities track down and rescue Diaz’s father.