EPL: Kidnappers of Luis Diaz’s father gives condition for his release

The release of Manuel Diaz, the father of Luis Diaz, the Liverpool winger, is being held hostage by the ELN guerrilla group.

The kidnappers have asked the Colombian government for guarantees in order to facilitate his release.

Although the group has made a promise to free him, they have not followed through on that commitment.

Commander Jose Manuel Martinez Quiroz, one of the leaders of the group, has signed a statement requesting a halt in security operations to avoid any additional delays.

“On November 2, we informed the country of the decision to release Mr. Luis Manuel Díaz, father of the player Luis Díaz. From that date, we began the process to accomplish this as soon as possible. We are making efforts to avoid incidents with government forces,” read the statement.

“The area is still militarized, they are carrying out flyovers, disembarking troops, broadcasting and offering rewards as part of an intense search operation. This situation is not allowing for the execution of the release plan quickly and safely, where Mr Luis Manuel Díaz is not at risk.

“If operations continue in the area, they will delay the release and increase the risks. We understand the anguish of the Díaz Marulanda family, to whom we say that we will keep our word to release him unilaterally, as soon as we have security guarantees for the development of the liberation operation.”