Luis Diaz’s parents kidnapped in Colombia, mother has been rescued

Liverpool's Luis Diaz. Photo / Jon Super

The parents of Colombian and Liverpool striker Luis Diaz have been kidnapped and while his mother was later rescued, his father remains missing, authorities said.

The parents of the 26-year-old were reportedly kidnapped as they drove to their home. Gunmen on motorbikes stopped them and drove them away in the vehicle, authorities said.

Diaz’s mother, Cilenis Marulanda, was rescued by police in the city of Barrancas in the northern department of La Guajira, Colombia’s President Gustavo Petro said.

The country’s police director, General William Salamanca, said in a video he is using every agent to find Diaz’ father.

The Colombian Attorney-General’s Office made a statement earlier that it had assembled a team of investigators to search for the footballer’s parents.

“From the moment the Attorney-General’s Office learned of the kidnapping of the parents of the Colombian player Luis Diaz, in the Barrancas sector of La Guajira, a specialised team of prosecutors, police and military personnel have been working to find “the location of these people, clarify the facts and find those responsible,” the attorney general’s office said on X, formerly Twitter.

Desde el momento en que la #Fiscalía General de la Nación conoció el secuestro de los padres del jugador colombiano Luis Díaz, en el sector de Barrancas, en #LaGuajira, un equipo especializado de fiscales, funcionarios del Cuerpo Técnico de Investigación, #CTI, e investigadores…

— Fiscalía Colombia (@FiscaliaCol) October 28, 2023

Colombia’s football federation said in a statement the kidnapping was regrettable and urged authorities to rescue the father.

Diaz has not commented on the incident.

- AP with additional reporting by the Herald