Luis Diaz’s father has detailed his first exchange with his son after he was released 12 days after being kidnapped by ELN guerrillas in Colombia.
Luis Manuel Diaz Jimenez spoke for the first time since his release on Friday, and revealed he spoke to the Liverpool footballer, who was playing for his club against Toulouse in France on the day of the release.
Diaz was taken by the left-wing terror group on October 28 in an armed attack and a huge search was launched to locate and release him.
He was seized at gunpoint along with his wife and the government soon blamed Colombia’s last remaining rebel group, the National Liberation Army. Diaz’s mother, Cilenis Marulanda, was left behind in a car.
Officials said they could not rule out the possibility that he had been smuggled over the border to Venezuela through a dense jungle, meaning he would have been out of reach of Colombian police. A reward of about £40,000 was offered for crucial information.
Luis Manuel Diaz Jimenez spoke for the first time since being released after being kidnapped
He was eventually recovered and explained that he called his son as soon as possible, with the Liverpool star telling his father ‘to keep going because things don’t end here and to have a lot of strength to recover from everything that has happened’.
Earlier on Thursday, Colombian media reported that the process of liberating Luis Diaz’s father had begun, with a helicopter taking off from the city of Valledupar to a meeting place where rebels would stage the handover.
Radar showed the helicopter circling close to the Venezuelan border in the Perija Mountain Range. Images following the handover showed Diaz Snr flanked by two men who appeared to be priests. He was then seen sitting on the ground having his blood pressure checked.
Diaz spoke for the first time on Friday at what was a celebration of his return and called for peace in his country. ‘I ask my brothers from the mountains, let’s put down our weapons, let’s use the pen and the notebook, let’s work to make it Colombia is the country that has the best peace,’ he said.
Friends and family gathered in his neighbourhood to greet him upon his return, with Diaz thanking God for ‘a second chance’ after driving back home.
‘I thank Colombia for this great support’, he added. ‘Very soon I will have the opportunity to greet them and give them a hug. Thank you very much, my people.’
