These are the first photos of the four men arrested for kidnapping Luis Diaz’s father.
They are accused of kidnapping and theft, among other things. A court hearing will take place later today in the northern Colombian city of Riohacha.
On Saturday evening it emerged that one of the four men, Yerdinson Bolivar Bolivar, who reportedly used the alias ‘Arenca’ or ‘Areca’, was a coach at Manuel Luis Diaz’s football school in his hometown of Barrancas.
Colombian authorities have accused him of taking a job there so he could keep an eye on the Liverpool star’s father as part of a ‘secret infiltration’ and gain a view of his movements.
A chilling photo published by the Colombian media Semana shows “Areca” behind Mr. Diaz, who appears oblivious to the other man’s presence, as he walks behind him in a shoe store.
Photos have been released of the four men arrested in Colombia over the kidnapping of Luis Diaz’s father – they will appear in court on Sunday
Luis Manuel Diaz (right) speaks to the media with his wife Cilenis Marulanda after his release from twelve days of captivity
Diaz Snr received medical care after being rescued after 12 days in captivity as his family and friends held their breath
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It has not been made clear when the photo was taken.
The two other suspects, Marlon Rafael Brito Bolivar, alias Marlon, and Brayan Javier Morales Sanjuan, alias Brayan or Negro, are alleged to have ridden the motorcycles used to kidnap Mr Diaz and his wife Cilenis Marulanda, who was rescued shortly afterwards .
The fourth man, Andrys Alcides Bolivar Bolivar, is a currency exchange worker described as the ringleader of the operation and the man who organized his transfer to the left-wing insurgent group ELN, who later took responsibility for taking Mr Diaz hostage in what Police have described this as a case of ‘criminal outsourcing’.
Local reports indicate that the ELN is using the gang allegedly led by Alcides, known by the alias Andrys, to divert attention from their role in the crime.
Alcides’ gang is called Los Primos, which translates into English as ‘The Cousins’, although the heads of the Public Prosecution Service also call them Los Primates, English for ‘The Primates’.
The shadowy criminal organization is said to specialize in drug trafficking and has reportedly been identified as a subdivision of the infamous Gulf clan, whose former leader Dairo Antonio Usaga was once considered one of the most dangerous drug lords in the world.
Usaga, better known as Otoniel, was sentenced to 45 years in prison in the US in August after pleading guilty to major drug trafficking charges.
According to reports in Colombia, a police officer who was instrumental in Otoniel’s arrest in his jungle hideout in October 2021 before his extradition to the US the following year helped identify the four men held for the kidnapping of Luis Manuel Diaz.
He was believed to have been in England when the kidnapping took place on October 28, but was sent back to Bogota by Colombian police chief William Salamanca so he could work with British authorities on the case.
A chilling image released by police in Colombia shows one of those arrested ‘stalking’ Luis Manuel Diaz in a shoe store as they build up a picture of his movements
Luis Manuel Diaz pictured with his son Luis Diaz, who plays for Liverpool and Colombia
Luis Manuel Diaz was released from captivity on Thursday after being missing for 12 days
He broke down in tears during an emotional press conference after his release
Although footage of the arrests published by the Colombian press showed four men being captured, and police confirmed that four men had been detained, the country’s attorney general, Francisco Barbosa, referred to only three of the men and made he makes no mention of the alleged leader.
Several weapons were also seized during the operation to arrest the suspects.
William Salamanca said: ‘We initiated Operation Freedom on the day of the kidnapping, which allowed us to identify the alleged intellectual and material authors, including the criminal group called ‘Los Primos’ that commits the crimes using the ‘criminal outsourcing’ method.
“During the development of the operation, we captured four people believed to be responsible for the kidnapping of Luis Manuel Diaz.”
One of the videos released by police showed one of the suspects, wearing a white tank top, being read his rights while being detained.
Speaking on Saturday, two days after the release of Luis Diaz’s father, Francisco Barbosa said: “We have fulfilled our promise and less than 72 hours after Mr. Luis Manuel Diaz, the father of footballer Luis Diaz, has obtained his freedom recovered, we have captured the kidnappers.’