The mother of Liverpool winger Luis Diaz was rescued from kidnappers on Saturday, but the search for his father continues, according to Colombian President Gustavo Petro.
Petro said on X, formerly known as Twitter, that Diaz’s mother had been rescued in Barrancas, Colombia’s northwestern region.
“We continue in the search for the father,” he added.
Colombia’s attorney general’s office said it had been working intensively on the case.
“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 office said on X.
According to local media, armed men on motorcycles kidnapped Luis Manuel Diaz and Cilenis Marulanda at a service station.
General William Salamanca, the director of police, stated that he had deployed intelligence agents and officers to cope with the situation.
The police are “already involved, right now, in carrying out checkpoints, identifying people on motorbikes, private public service vehicles… for the recovery of the two kidnapped people, the father and mother of the footballer Luis Díaz,” Salamanca told Colombian media earlier on Saturday.
The governor of La Guajira, Diala Wilches, condemned the crime.
“To the kidnappers, we demand that they return them immediately, safe and sound,” she said.
The 26-year-old Liverpool and Colombia forward has not commented on the topic, but the club issued a statement on Sunday saying it was “aware of an ongoing situation involving the Diaz family in Colombia.”
“It is our fervent hope that the matter is resolved safely and at the earliest possible opportunity,” the club added. “In the meantime, the player’s welfare will continue to be our immediate priority.”
Diaz, who has played 43 times for Colombia, joined Liverpool last year from Porto.
Liverpool are due to play Nottingham Forest in the Premier League on Sunday.