UPDATE: Liverpool star Luis Diaz’s kidnapped father ‘is set to be released in the next few hours’ after terrorist group who ambushed him said they made a mistake by not releasing him earlier 

Liverpool star Luis Diaz’s kidnapped father ‘is set to be released in the next few hours’ after terrorist group who ambushed him said they made a mistake by not releasing him earlier

The head of the rebel group that kidnapped the parents of Liverpool star Luis Diaz conceded they made a ‘mistake’ by not freeing his father.

 

There are 150 uniformed military personnel in the area of Barrancas as authorities look to accelerate the release of Diaz’s father, with peace talks with the ELN, branded a terrorist group by the US government, continuing.

The retention of Luis Diaz’s father by the Northern War Front was a mistake,’ ELN commander Antonio Garcia wrote on his Telegram channel, according to AFP.

 

 

‘Lucho is a symbol of Colombia – that is how we in the ELN feel about him,’ Garcia added, using the nickname of the 26-year-old footballer, who returned to Liverpool training on Frid

 

ELN, a left-wing rebel group, were identified on Thursday as the organisation responsible for Luis Manuel Diaz’s abduction.

However, there has been some cynicism in Colombia around claims he could be released, as the police chief overseeing the mission has yet to give an update on the latest development.

 

Police had voiced concerns that Diaz’s father have been smuggled over Colombia’s north-eastern border into Venezuela through dense jungle.

 

A statement on Thursday, signed by the leader of the Colombian government’s Peace Delegation negotiation team Otty Patino, read: ‘Today we have had official knowledge that the kidnapping was perpetrated by a unit belonging to the ELN.

 

‘To the ELN, we demand the immediate release of Mr Luis Manuel Diaz and we remind them that it is their responsibility to guarantee his life and integrity.

 

‘We remind the ELN that kidnapping is a criminal practice, in violation of International Humanitarian Law.’

 

ELN were founded in 1964 by radical Catholics inspired by Cuba’s Communist revolution and has been behind multiple kidnappings in Colombia.

 

It was behind a car bombing at a Bogota police academy in 2019 which killed 21 people and injured another 68.

Peace talks have been going on between the ELN and the Colombian government since March 2020, when the guerrilla group declared a unilateral ceasefire during the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic. Liverpool forward Diaz, 26, has remained in England after learning of the events on Saturday night.

 

He was not involved in Sunday’s win over Nottingham Forest or Wednesday’s Carabao Cup victory against Bournemouth. Reports in Colombia suggested he was talked out of returning to his homeland for ‘security reasons’.