Current:Home > NewsLiverpool striker Luis Díaz and his father are reunited for the 1st time after kidnapping-InfoLens
Liverpool striker Luis Díaz and his father are reunited for the 1st time after kidnapping
View Date:2024-12-23 11:43:22
BARRANQUILLA, Colombia (AP) — Liverpool soccer player Luis Díaz was reunited Tuesday with his father, who was kidnapped in northern Colombia by a unit of a guerrilla group in late October and released last week.
Photographs posted on the Colombian Football Federation’s account on X, formerly Twitter, captured the striker and his father, Luis Manuel Díaz Jiménez, hugging each other.
With the message “Welcome home Luchooo,” the federation announced the arrival of the elder Díaz to Barranquilla, where the Colombian national team is set to play against Brazil on Thursday.
Armed men on motorcycles kidnapped Díaz’s parents from a gas station in the small town of Barrancas on Oct. 28. His 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 were deployed to search for Díaz’s father in a mountain range that straddles Colombia and Venezuela. Police also offered a $48,000 reward for information that led to him.
It was initially unclear who carried out the abduction. Colombia’s government subsequently announced that it had information that a unit of the National Liberation Army, or ELN, was responsible. in the kidnapping,
The group later acknowledged the kidnapping, saying it was a mistake and that its top leadership had ordered the father’s release.
Diaz’s parents were taken amid peace negotiations between Colombia’s government and the guerrilla group.
Authorities arrested four suspects over the weekend.
Colombia’s Ombudsman’s Office estimates that between January 2022 and September 2023, armed groups carried out 160 kidnappings and 121 releases.
After Díaz’s father was released, the government’s peace talks delegation demanded in a statement that the ELN immediately free anyone it still “has in captivity” and end its practice of kidnappings.
“It is unsustainable to argue, from an ethical point of view, that trading with human beings is legal, even under the conditions of an armed conflict,” the statement said.
veryGood! (883)
Related
- Can't afford a home? Why becoming a landlord might be the best way to 'house hack.'
- Jessica Chastain’s 2 Kids Make Rare Public Appearance at 2024 Olympics
- 3-year-old dies in Florida after being hit by car while riding bike with mom, siblings
- 2 children dead and 11 people injured in stabbing rampage at a dance class in England, police say
- Burger King's 'Million Dollar Whopper' finalists: How to try and vote on your favorite
- California school official convicted of embezzling over $16M concealed cash in fridge
- 10, 11-year-old children among those charged in death of 8-year-old boy in Georgia
- Khloe Kardashian Shares Glimpse Inside Son Tatum’s Dinosaur-Themed 2nd Birthday Party
- The Stanley x LoveShackFancy Collaboration That Sold Out in Minutes Is Back for Part 2—Don’t Miss Out!
- Dallas Cowboys' Sam Williams to miss 2024 NFL season after suffering knee injury
Ranking
- Catholic bishops urged to boldly share church teachings — even unpopular ones
- Selena Gomez Claps Back at Plastic Surgery Speculation
- Borel Fire in Kern County has burned thousands of acres, destroyed mining town Havilah
- Texas senators grill utility executives about massive power failure after Hurricane Beryl
- South Carolina does not set a date for the next execution after requests for a holiday pause
- Video shows a vortex of smoke amid wildfire. Was it a fire tornado?
- Chase Budinger, Miles Evans inspired by US support group in beach volleyball win
- All the best Comic-Con highlights, from Robert Downey Jr.'s Marvel return to 'The Boys'
Recommendation
-
College Football Playoff snubs: Georgia among teams with beef after second rankings
-
Jessica Chastain’s 2 Kids Make Rare Public Appearance at 2024 Olympics
-
Jennifer Stone Details Messy High School Nonsense Between Selena Gomez and Miley Cyrus Over Nick Jonas
-
Hawaii man killed self after police took DNA sample in Virginia woman’s 1991 killing, lawyers say
-
Walmart Planned to Remove Oven Before 19-Year-Old Employee's Death
-
Why US Olympians Ilona Maher, Chase Jackson want to expand definition of beautiful
-
USA skateboarders Nyjah Huston, Jagger Eaton medal at Paris Olympics
-
Jessica Chastain’s 2 Kids Make Rare Public Appearance at 2024 Olympics