Díaz’s kidnapped father released by guerrillas

BARRANCAS, Colombia (AP):

The father of Liverpool striker Luis Diaz was released on Thursday by members of a guerrilla group who kidnapped him in northern Colombia, the government announced, ending a 12-day ordeal for the family.

Luis Manuel Diaz's kidnapping on October 28 from his hometown of Barrancas quickly drew international attention and appeals for his release. On Sunday, the younger Diaz pleaded for his father's freedom after scoring for Liverpool in an English Premier League football match, revealing a T-shirt, saying "Freedom for Papa" in Spanish.

The release by members of the National Liberation Army, or ELN, was announced by the government delegation, which is currently in peace negotiations with the guerrilla group.

The elder Diaz, wearing a green shirt and baseball cap, waved to well-wishers later Thursday as he arrived in his hometown in the La Guajira region, escorted by authorities. He spoke emotionally to his neighbours through a megaphone.

"Thanks to God for this second opportunity to bring me back home, and thanks to all the people of Barrancas, La Guajira, and Colombia for the immense support given to my family," he said.

It was initially unclear who carried out the abduction. The Colombian government; however, announced last week that information is that Diaz was kidnapped by an ELN unit. The ELN later acknowledged the kidnapping, saying it was a mistake and that the group's top leadership had ordered the elder Diaz's release.

An ELN statement Sunday said that the planned release was hampered by military deployments in northern Colombia and that it couldn't guarantee a safe release under those circumstances. The Colombian military said Monday that it was shifting its positions to facilitate a release.

Both parents of Liverpool's Diaz had been kidnapped by armed men on motorcycles at a gas station in 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.

After the kidnapping, special forces had been deployed in the area to search for Diaz's father in a mountain range that straddles both countries and is covered by cloud forest. Police also had offered a $48,000 reward for information leading to him.

"These really have been quite the agonising days, with great uncertainty," Alfonso Diaz, a cousin of Luis Manuel Diaz, told The Associated Press. "But always with faith placed in God for the best outcome because our family does not deserve an attack of this magnitude."

The United Nations and the Catholic Church helped facilitate the handover, and their representatives received Diaz's father Thursday in the area of the mountain range Serrania del Perija, where he received primary medical care.