Luis Diaz’s father IS being released after he was verified as a family member of Liverpool star, Colombian terrorists ELN confirm in a statement: ‘We want to avoid any incident’

Luis Diaz’s father will be released by his captors after being verified as a relative of the Liverpool player, Colombian terror group Ejercito de Liberacion Nacional (ELN) has confirmed in a statement.

Diaz’s father, Luis Manuel Diaz, and mother, Cilenis Marulanda, were kidnapped at gunpoint on Saturday by the left-wing guerrilla group.

According to local reports, the pair were kidnapped from the town of Barrancas in La Guajira, Colombia before fleeing the scene.

The left-wing rebel group ELN, designated a terrorist organization by the US government and the EU, was identified Thursday as the group responsible for the kidnapping of Luis Manuel.

The ELN, which is currently in peace talks with the government after declaring a ceasefire in the long-standing war against the Colombian state, had promised to secure the release of 58-year-old Diaz within hours on Thursday after he had been identified as the culprits.

The Liverpool star’s mother (above in 2019, center left) was rescued after the pair were snatched from the streets of Colombia last week, but his father’s whereabouts remain unknown

Terrorist group ELN has now confirmed in a statement that the process to release Diaz’s father has started

And despite a brief pause that Colombian President Gustavo Petro described as “very dangerous,” the ELN has revealed that the process to free Luis Manuel has now begun.

“We greet Colombia and the Caribbean,” the group said in a statement El Colombiano. “We stand in solidarity with the families who experience pain and tragedy as a result of unemployment, the criminal violence of paramilitarism and abandonment of the state. The corruption of political clans poses the greatest threat to the stability of the region.

‘The Northern War Front has commandos with economic missions and one of them carries out a deprivation of liberty, who, after it has been reported and verified that it is the priest of Lucho Diaz, is guided by his release because he is a relative of the great sportsman where we all love as Colombians.

‘The release process starts from that moment and we want to avoid any incident. Determined in the search for the paths of peace, with the necessary transformations that the country needs. From the Caribbean.’

It emerged on Sunday that Diaz’s mother had been rescued after being left in a car by the guerrilla group, while ELN members dragged his father away.

Making her first appearance since the kidnapping earlier this week, she demanded kidnappers release her partner safely before leading hundreds of people on a march in their hometown.

Diaz (left) was pictured training for Liverpool on Friday amid the ongoing situation

The Liverpool forward also broke his silence on social media earlier this week, urging the public to march in solidarity and demand his father’s release.

On Thursday, it was confirmed by Colombian authorities that the ELN was behind the kidnapping, with Otty Patino, leader of the Colombian government’s peace delegation, stating: ‘Today we have been officially informed that the kidnapping was committed by a unit of the ELN.

‘To the ELN, we demand the immediate release of Mr. Luis Manuel Diaz and we remind them that it is their responsibility to guarantee his life and integrity.

“We remind the ELN that kidnapping is a criminal practice, contrary to international humanitarian law.”

The Director General of the Colombian National Police, William Rene Salamanca Ramirez, had also issued a statement directly to the Liverpool star stating that authorities were using resources on land, sea and air to get his father back safely .

As officials continue to search for Diaz’s father, a reward of 200 million Colombian pesos ($40,000) is being offered in exchange for information on his location.