Again in his household’s arms: Luis Diaz’s father is reunited with family members after being kidnapped at gunpoint – whereas his ‘very completely happy’ son represents Liverpool in Europa League defeat

The daddy of Liverpool star Luis Diaz has been reunited with family members after being kidnapped at gunpoint by Colombian guerrillas nearly two weeks in the past.

Emotional footage captured the second {that a} tearful Luis Manuel Diaz was embraced by relations as he returned house after spending 12 days within the jungle as a hostage to the left-wing guerrilla group Ejercito de Liberation Nacional (ELN).

Diaz Snr was lastly freed by his terrorist captors simply hours earlier than his son began for Liverpool of their 3-2 defeat to Toulouse within the Europa League. Diaz was beaming in the course of the heat up and his supervisor Jurgen Klopp later mentioned he was ‘very completely happy’.

Dozens of Colombians traces the streets in Barrancas the place Diaz Snr and his spouse had been kidnapped on October 28. Diaz’s mom, Cilenis Marulanda, had already been rescued inside hours by police after roadblocks had been arrange.

Footage confirmed excited neighbours and pals celebrating with musical devices, balloons and banners in Diaz Snr’s hometown of La Guajira.

After being pushed by means of the packed streets as pals cheered, an emotional Diaz was mobbed and embraced by tearful pals and relations as he stepped out of the automobile.

Chatting with the crowds after being free of captivity, Diaz Snr mentioned: ‘I thank God for this second likelihood. I thank Colombia for this nice help’.

He additionally thanked his local people for the help, including: ‘Thanks all, I like you very a lot.’

‘Very quickly I’ll have the chance to greet them and provides them a hug. Thanks very a lot, my individuals.’

Native media reviews that Diaz Snr injured his knee throughout his time as a hostage and he might be seen resting in a mattress surrounded by household. 

On Thursday afternoon, Diaz’s father was taken into the fingers of a ‘humanitarian fee’ made up of the Catholic church and the UN. The plan was to take Diaz Snr to a close-by metropolis for medical checks.

First photos launched on Colombian tv confirmed him carrying a cap and holding a drink, waving an arm within the air. Liverpool mentioned they had been ‘delighted by the information’ and thanked ‘all these concerned in securing his launch’.

Diaz was taken by the left-wing terror group in an armed assault and an enormous search was launched to find and launch him. The ELN later acknowledged the kidnapping, saying it was a mistake and that the group’s high management had ordered the elder Díaz’s launch.

He was seized at gunpoint alongside along with his spouse and the federal government quickly blamed Colombia’s final remaining insurgent group, the Nationwide Liberation Military. Diaz’s mom, Cilenis Marulanda, was left behind in a automobile.

Officers mentioned they may not rule out the chance that he had been smuggled over the border to Venezuela by means of a dense jungle, which means he would have been out of attain of Colombian police. A reward of about £40,000 was supplied for essential data.

Liverpool supervisor Klopp spoke movingly of the membership’s help for his or her participant who was instructed to not head house for safety causes. All members of his squad had paid visits to Diaz’s house to supply their help and the facet’s Latin American gamers are thought to have taken the lead. 

Two of these, Alexis Mac Allister and Darwin Nunez, had been seen hugging and laughing with Diaz because the South American trio entered the Stade de Toulouse pitch to heat up final evening, with the participant beginning within the Reds’ defeat.

Earlier on Thursday, Colombian media reported that the method of liberating Luis Diaz’s father had begun, with a helicopter taking off from town of Valledupar to a gathering place the place rebels would stage the handover.

Radar confirmed the helicopter circling near the Venezuelan border within the Perija Mountain Vary. Photos following the handover confirmed Diaz Snr flanked by two males who seemed to be clergymen. He was then seen sitting on the bottom having his blood stress checked. He’s anticipated to be reunited with household in Valledupar.

Colombia’s president, Gustavo Petro, greeted the information with a message on social media platform X, previously Twitter, during which he wrote: ‘Lengthy reside freedom and peace.’ The Colombian soccer federation added: ‘Soccer is ardour in peace. Let nobody ever consider attacking that actuality once more.’

Chatting with Colombian TV, Diaz’s Aunt mentioned: ‘There have been many days of uncertainty, of sleeplessness, of late nights. At the moment we’re completely happy, completely happy to know that we already noticed him. He isn’t as we wish, however he’s alive.’ 

On listening to the information of Diaz Snr’s launch, Liverpool wrote on Twitter: ‘We’re delighted by the information of Luis Diaz’s father’s secure return and we thank all these concerned in securing his launch.’

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Together with his father nonetheless lacking, Colombia worldwide Diaz had scored his facet’s equaliser with a dramatic late purpose in a 1-1 draw at Luton earlier than lifting his shirt to disclose a message demanding a launch.

Colombian press had been with Diaz’s household because the rescue operation occurred. They caught the response of Diaz Snr’s personal father, who was lowered to tears upon seeing his son launched. 

Quite a few false dawns adopted earlier than the breakthrough ultimately arrived.

Concern grew on Tuesday after there was no signal of the beginning of ELN’s launch course of regardless of measures to facilitate it, with Diaz’s household calling for the group to supply proof that Diaz Snr was nonetheless alive. 

However on Wednesday, hope was renewed once more as humanitarian teams together with representatives from the Catholic Chruch and the United Nations gathered on the Colombian-Venezuelan border after establishing contact with ELN to start the handover. 

On Thursday morning native time, Semana reported the handover had been a hit. 

Members of the police and different particular forces had been trying to find the Liverpool star’s father since October 28.

His father and mom had been kidnapped from the city of Barrancas in La Guajira, Colombia by the group, earlier than the ELN, who’re thought-about a terrorist organisation by the USA and European Union, fled the scene. 

Stories final Friday had claimed that Diaz’s father could be freed that day, however his launch didn’t materialise.

Juan Carlos Cuellar, a consultant of the group, acknowledged in a group assembly that Diaz Snr could be ‘launched as quickly as potential’.  

On Sunday October 30, it emerged that Diaz’s mom had been rescued after she was left in a automobile by the guerrilla group, with members of the ELN conserving his father as a captive. 

His mom made her first look because the kidnapping final Tuesday, demanding that the abductors launch her associate safely earlier than main a whole bunch on a march of their house city. 

Luis Diaz had been pictured again in coaching for the Reds forward of the conflict with Luton, however there was uncertainty over whether or not he would make an look throughout their 1-1 draw on Sunday amid the continued scenario. 

As a substitute, Diaz was included within the squad and got here off the bench to attain a ninety fifth minute equaliser, to assist Klopp’s facet safe a draw. 

After scoring, the Colombian ahead issued an emotional plea asking for the discharge of his father. 

He revealed a T-shirt beneath his Liverpool jersey that had the message ‘freedom for papa’ written in Spanish on it. 

His supervisor and Luton captain Tom Lockyer each embraced the ahead at full time, earlier than Diaz issued a press release on social media on the identical night.  

He wrote: ‘This isn’t Luis Diaz the participant talking. At the moment I’m the son of Luis Manuel Diaz. My dad hard-working household man. 

‘I ask the ELN for the immediate launch of my father, and I ask worldwide organisations to work collectively for his freedom.

‘Each second, each minute, our anguish grows. My mom, my brothers and I are determined, distressed and with out phrases to explain what we’re feeling. This struggling will solely finish when we now have him again house.

‘I encourage you to launch him instantly, respecting his integrity and ending this painful wait as quickly as potential.

‘Within the title of affection and compassion, we ask that you just rethink your actions and permit us to recuperate him.

‘I thank Colombians and the worldwide group for the help acquired, thanks for therefore many demonstrations of affection and solidarity on this troublesome time that many households in my nation discover themselves dwelling.’

On Monday, it was reported that the group had vowed ‘to maintain their phrase’ and launch his father as quickly as ‘safety ensures’ had been in place. 

In a press release, which was signed by the guerrilla group’s commander Jose Manuel Martinez Quiroz, the ELN mentioned: ‘On November 2, we knowledgeable the nation of the choice to launch Mr. Luis Manuel Diaz, father of the participant Luis Diaz.

‘From that date, we started the method to perform this as quickly as potential. We’re making efforts to keep away from incidents with authorities forces.

‘The world remains to be militarised, they’re finishing up flyovers, disembarking troops, broadcasting and providing rewards as a part of an intense search operation.

‘This case will not be permitting for the execution of the discharge plan shortly and safely, the place Mr. Luis Manuel Diaz will not be in danger. If operations proceed within the space, they are going to delay the discharge and enhance the dangers.

‘We perceive the anguish of the Diaz Marulanda household, to whom we are saying that we’ll hold our phrase to launch him unilaterally, as quickly as we now have safety ensures for the event of the liberation operation.’

It was confirmed by the Colombian authorities on Thursday final week that the ELN had been behind the kidnapping, with chief of the Colombian authorities’s Peace Delegation, Otty Patino, stating: ‘At the moment we now have had official data that the kidnapping was perpetrated by a unit belonging to the ELN.

‘To the ELN, we demand the speedy launch of Mr Luis Manuel Diaz and we remind them that it’s their accountability to ensure his life and integrity. 

‘We remind the ELN that kidnapping is a felony apply, in violation of Worldwide Humanitarian Regulation.’

The organisation, is a Marxist-Leninist anti-government group that has over 2,000 militants amongst its ranks based mostly within the countryside of Colombia.

The director common of Colombia’s Nationwide Police drive, William Rene Salamanca Ramirez, had additionally instantly issued a press release to the Liverpool star stating that the authorities had been utilising assets on land, sea and within the air to securely recuperate his father. 

Whereas officers continued to seek for Diaz’s father, a reward of 200 million Colombian pesos (£40,000) was being supplied in return for data on his location. 

The Colombian military had been concerned within the search, using strong techniques to try to find Diaz Snr. 

It has been reported that ‘two motorised platoons unmanned plane, checkpoints, helicopters, a airplane with specialised radar’ had all been deployed within the search.

The Liverpool ahead additionally broke his silence on social media final week shortly after information filtered out about Diaz Snr’s kidnapping, urging members of the general public to march in solidarity to demand the discharge of his father. 

Diaz was additionally pictured again in coaching for his facet, with Klopp stating on Friday that the Colombian had been coaching for a number of days. 

He had missed Liverpool’s earlier matches in opposition to Nottingham Forest and Bournemouth amid the creating scenario. 

Talking on his emotional tribute to his father after scoring in opposition to Luton, Klopp praised the ahead and spoke on his embrace with the 26-year-old after the match.

The Liverpool supervisor mentioned: ‘It is great, it is emotional and it is unbelievable however the actual drawback will not be sorted due to that. 

‘We wish to give and he needed to as effectively, Lucho [Diaz] the chance to be a bit bit distracted from issues.

‘He can’t do something. He’s ready on a regular basis, the entire household is ready on a regular basis. He educated a couple of instances with us and was then in temper and it is good for him.

‘The indicators from Colombia are slightly constructive, optimistic however not the one factor we wish to hear did not occur but.

‘How was he emotionally afterwards? After the sport, there was no phrases needed. We simply gave one another a hug, that is all. You understand how he’s. Okay, however desperately ready for the suitable information.

‘I perceive 100 per cent it is a good story. It’s tremendous constructive and nice for him however these items go by.

‘The true data we want is totally different data. It [scoring] is a very, actually constructive factor for him however all the opposite issues keep the identical.’ 

His team-mate, Allison, added after the match: ‘It says so much about Diaz’s character, his interior power. Not many individuals think about what he is going by means of, we really feel his ache however for him it is a totally different stage. 

‘Soccer typically within the dangerous second can convey pleasure to somebody who’s struggling. Soccer is a slice of pleasure for Lucho on this time. We’re with him 100 per cent.

‘Soccer all the time surprises in a great way, it occurred with me once I was going by means of a troublesome second. If you find yourself on the pitch you might be targeted on doing the job.’

‘Actually troublesome, we needed to play in opposition to a deep defending staff. They did a very good job right now. We did not play a nasty recreation, we missed some probabilities. It is disappointing to not win however we revered the opponent taking part in bravely on the pitch.’