Luis Diaz: Liverpool midfielder's parents kidnapped in Colombia and father is still missing.
Luis Diaz's father 'could be in Venezuela' after Liverpool star's parents kidnapped
The Liverpool star was absent from his side's win over Nottingham Forest following the kidnapping of his parents, with his mother so far safely returned but father still missing
Luis Diaz's father may have been taken to Venezuela as part of the extraordinary kidnapping of the Liverpool star's parents, Colombia's attorney general has revealed.
The Liverpool forward's parents were kidnapped on Saturday evening while driving home to the town of Barrancas, in Colombia's Caribbean region. The police and military were immediately mobilised as a full scale operation to recover the pair was put in place.
Diaz's mother, Cilenis Marulanda, was rescued shortly after the incident but his father, Luis Manuel Diaz, remains missing. Now, Colombia's attorney general, Francisco Barbosa, confirmed it was possible Diaz's father was being taken to Venezuela.
He told reporters: "We have information that he could, at some point, be in Venezuela. If he ends up crossing the border and he's in Venezuela, we have to ask [ Colombia ] President Gustavo Petro ... to help us with freeing Luis Diaz's father."
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colombia football federation also issued a statement to the captors, urging the release of Diaz's father. It read: “We ask the captors of Luis Manuel Diaz, father of Luis F. Diaz, to release him immediately, without conditions. Football is peace. Luis, we are with you. Colombia is with you."
reward of 200m Colombian peso (£40k) is being offered by the Colombian police for any information that leads to the rescue Diaz's father. The former Porto star is being kept abreast of the operation by police chiefs.
General William Salamanca, in charge of the operation, told Diaz the Colombian president ordered him to lead the rescue mission and assured the footballer his mother is "safe and sound." He added: "We are here using all the air and land capabilities of the police with the support of the Colombian Army."
Diaz was missing from Liverpool's 3-0 win over Nottingham Forest on Sunday. Explaining the troubling set of circumstances, Klopp said: "We had to obviously make a late change because of the private situation involving Luis Diaz. I9t's a worrying situation for all of us and it was a pretty tough night. I have never had that before. It's a new experience I never needed."
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