Kidnappers of Luis Diaz's father release fresh statement, ask for 'guarantees'
Luis Diaz dedicates the goal to his father after equalising at the death for Liverpool
Kidnappers ofLuis Diaz's father have issued a new statement, a day after theLiverpool player made an impassioned appeal for his release. The kidnappers, belonging to theleft-wing ELN guerrilla organisation in Colombia said they were in the process of releasing Luis Manuel Díaz.
Commander Jose Manuel Martinez Quiroz, one of the group's unit leaders released a statement under his signature and requested the authorities to suspend security operations to prevent any further delays.
“On November 2, we informed the country of the decision to release Mr. Luis Manuel Díaz, father of the player Luis Díaz. From that date, we began the process to accomplish this as soon as possible. We are making efforts to avoid incidents with government forces," read the statement.
"The area is still militarised, they are carrying out flyovers, disembarking troops, broadcasting and offering rewards as part of an intense search operation. This situation is not allowing for the execution of the release plan quickly and safely, where Mr Luis Manuel Díaz is not at risk."
The Gureilla group added that if the operations continued in the area they would have to delay the release due to the increased risks.
"We understand the anguish of the Díaz Marulanda family, to whom we say that we will keep our word to release him unilaterally, as soon as we have security guarantees for the development of the liberation operation.”
Diaz scores for Liverpool in comeback match
On Sunday (Nov 5), Diaz came at the death during Liverpool's Premier League encounter against Luton Town at Kenilworth Road to score a 95th-minute goal and secure a draw.
After the goal, Diaz lifted his shirt to reveal a message in Spanish, "Freedom for papa". A few hours after the match, he also released a statement on his social media handles, pleading for the release of his father.
"Every second, every minute our anguish grows. My mother, my brothers and I are desperate, distressed and without words to describe what we are feeling," he wrote on Instagram.
The 26-year-old was out of the Liverpool squad last week as news broke that his parents had been seized by armed men. However, after a few days out,Diaz asked to be back in the squad and manager Jurgen Klopp sent him on for the final minutes.
(With inputs from agencies)