After being ƙidnɑрped at ɡᴜnpoint by Colombian rebels almost two weeks ago, Liverpool player Luis Diaz’s father has been reunited with loved ones.
Emotional footage showed the moment a weeping Luis Manuel Diaz was hugged by relatives as he returned home after being held prisoner by the left-wing guerrilla group Ejercito de Liberation Nacional (ELN) for 12 days in the bush.
Diaz Snr was finally released by his terrorist ƙidnɑрpers just hours before his son began for Liverpool in their 3-2 Europa League defeat to Toulouse. During the warm-up, Diaz was beaming, and his manager, Jurgen Klopp, subsequently stated that he was’very delighted’.
Dozens of Colombians crowd the streets of Barrancas, Colombia, where Diaz Snr and his wife were abducted on October 28. Cilenis Marulanda, Diaz’s mother, had previously been rescued by police after barricades were placed up.
In Diaz Snr’s hometown of La Guajira, footage showed joyful neighbors and friends celebrating with musical instruments, balloons, and flags.
An emotional Diaz was swarmed and greeted by crying friends and relatives as he stepped out of the car after being taken through the packed streets as friends shouted.
Diaz Snr stated to the people after being released from captivity, “I thank God for this second chance.” I applaud Colombia for this amazing support’.
He also expressed gratitude to his community, saying, ‘Thank you all, I love you very much.’
‘Very soon I will get the opportunity to greet them and offer them a hug. Thank you very much, my friends.’
According to local media, Diaz Snr damaged his knee while serving as a hostage, and he was spotted recovering in a bed surrounded by relatives.
Diaz’s father was handed over to a ‘humanitarian commission’ comprised of the Catholic Church and the United Nations on Thursday afternoon. The intention was to transport Diaz Snr to a nearby city for medical examinations.
The first photographs seen on Colombian television showed him wearing a headgear and carrying a drink while waving his arm in the air. Liverpool said they were ‘delighted by the news’ and thanked ‘all those involved in securing his release’.
Diaz was ƙidnɑрped in an armed аttаck by a left-wing terror group, prompting a massive search to find and free him. The ELN later admitted to the ƙidnɑрping, claiming it was an error and that the group’s high leadership had ordered the elder Daz’s release.
He and his wife were ƙidnɑрped at ɡᴜnpoint, and the government quickly blamed Colombia’s last remaining rebel group, the National Liberation Army. Cilenis Marulanda, Diaz’s mother, was left behind in a car.
