BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) 鈥 Colombia's government said Thursday that the guerrilla group 春色直播 Liberation Army, known as ELN, was responsible for the weekend kidnapping of the father of Liverpool and Colombian national soccer team striker Luis D铆az.
The peace delegation of the government, which is currently in negotiations with ELN, said in a statement it was 鈥渙fficially aware鈥 that the kidnapping had been 鈥減erpetrated by a unit that belongs to ELN.鈥
鈥淲e demand that the ELN releases immediately Mr. Luis Manuel D铆az and we say as of now that they are entirely responsible to secure his life and integrity,鈥 said Otty Pati帽o, who leads the peace delegation.
Both parents of Liverpool's D铆az were kidnapped by armed men on motorcycles on Saturday at a gas station in the small town of Barrancas. The footballer's mother, Cilenis Marulanda, was rescued within hours by police who set up roadblocks around the town of 40,000 people, which is near Colombia鈥檚 border with Venezuela.
D铆az's father remained missing, which triggered special forces to search for him in a mountain range that straddles both countries and is covered by cloud forest. Police also offered a $48,000 reward for information leading to Diaz鈥檚 father.
D铆az is one of the most talented players on Colombia鈥檚 national team and currently plays for Liverpool in the English Premier League, which he joined last year in a deal worth $67 million.
The 26-year-old striker was absent from Liverpool鈥檚 match against Nottingham Forest on Sunday. D铆az鈥檚 teammates expressed their solidarity with the Colombian by holding up one of his jerseys on the pitch after scoring the team鈥檚 first goal in their 3-0 victory.
