The parents of Liverpool player Luis Díaz have been kidnapped in Colombia, Colombian media report. The mother is now said to have been brought to safety by the police. The search for the father is still ongoing. Police report that the mother was found ‘in good health’.
The incident took place in Díaz’s hometown of Barrancas in La Guajira, where his parents still live. According to reports in Colombian media, the couple was stopped in their vehicle by armed men on motorcycles.
Sources said the kidnappers took over the van the parents were in and fled. Weekly Semana writes that Colonel Geovanni Cristancho, director of the national police in Gaula, has traveled to the northern region of the country to lead the search and rescue operation.
According to various Colombian media, the mother has now been brought to safety by the police. The father, who is being held by armed men, is still being searched for with all his might. Images show how police guard the parents’ house in Barrancas.
Police are working with the military to identify the whereabouts of the father and kidnappers. From the moment the kidnapping became known, a specialized team from the Technical Investigation Corps and army units was deployed to determine the exact location.
Conflicting reports, including that Díaz’s parents were forced into a van by armed men while watching a football match, could complicate the investigation. The police are taking different scenarios into account, it emphasizes.
Liverpool will play their home match against Nottingham Forest on Sunday afternoon at 3 p.m. It is not known what the kidnapping means for Díaz’s employability. Last weekend, the attacker played eighty minutes in the city derby against Everton (2-0 win). Díaz has not yet publicly commented on the situation.