Fri | Jul 3, 2026

Colombia says ELN guerrillas kidnapped father of Liverpool striker Luis Díaz

Published:Thursday | November 2, 2023 | 2:17 PM
Gabriel Díaz, centre, uncle of Liverpool striker, Luis Diaz, and other family members, attend a vigil for the release of the soccer star´s father, in Barrancas, La Guajira department, Colombia, Tuesday, October 31, 2023. The parents of the 26-year-old Diaz were reportedly kidnapped as they drove to their home. Cilenis Marulanda, the mother of the Colombian football player, was rescued by police in Barrancas, Colombia’s President Gustavo Petro said. (AP Photo/Leo Carrillo)

BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) — Colombia's government said Thursday that the guerrilla group National Liberation Army, known as ELN, was responsible for the weekend kidnapping of the father of Liverpool and Colombian national football team striker Luis Díaz.

The peace delegation of the government, which is currently in negotiations with ELN, said in a statement it was “officially aware” that the kidnapping had been “perpetrated by a unit that belongs to ELN.”

“We demand that the ELN releases immediately Mr Luis Manuel Díaz and we say as of now that they are entirely responsible to secure his life and integrity,” said Otty Patiño, who leads the peace delegation.

Both parents of Liverpool's Díaz were kidnapped by armed men on motorcycles on Saturday at a gas station in the small town of Barrancas.

The footballer's mother, Cilenis Marulanda, was rescued within hours by police who set up roadblocks around the town of 40,000 people, which is near Colombia's border with Venezuela.

Díaz's father remained missing, which triggered special forces to search for him in a mountain range that straddles both countries and is covered by cloud forest.

Police also offered a $48,000 reward for information leading to Diaz's father.

Follow The Gleaner on X, formerly Twitter, and Instagram @JamaicaGleaner and on Facebook @GleanerJamaica. Send us a message on WhatsApp at 1-876-499-0169 or email us at onlinefeedback@gleanerjm.com or editors@gleanerjm.com.