{"id":114667,"date":"2023-10-30T10:05:38","date_gmt":"2023-10-30T10:05:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2023\/10\/30\/luis-diaz-major-military-and-police-search-under-way-for-liverpool-players-father\/"},"modified":"2023-10-30T10:05:38","modified_gmt":"2023-10-30T10:05:38","slug":"luis-diaz-major-military-and-police-search-under-way-for-liverpool-players-father","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2023\/10\/30\/luis-diaz-major-military-and-police-search-under-way-for-liverpool-players-father\/","title":{"rendered":"Luis Diaz: Major military and police search under way for Liverpool player’s father"},"content":{"rendered":"

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A major military and police search is under way in Colombia for the father of Liverpool player Luis Diaz, with the authorities offering a \u00a340,000 reward for information leading to his rescue.<\/p>\n

More than 120 soldiers, plus police, searched northern Colombia for Luis Manuel Diaz on Sunday, with reports armed men had taken him and his wife.<\/p>\n

The player\u2019s mother, Cilenis Marulanda, was found in Barrancas on Saturday.<\/p>\n

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Diaz was absent from the Liverpool side which\u00a0beat Nottingham Forest on Sunday.<\/p>\n

In a statement, the army said it had set up roadblocks and deployed two motorised platoons, unmanned aircraft, helicopters and a plane with radar in the search for his father.<\/p>\n

The Colombian authorities have not provided details about the reported kidnapping, but local media said Diaz\u2019s mother and father were taken by armed men on motorcycles at a gas station in Barrancas, their home town, which is in La Guajira, the country\u2019s northern region .<\/p>\n

Colombia President Gustavo Petro said \u201call the public forces have been deployed\u201d to find Diaz\u2019s father.<\/p>\n

Speaking on Sunday, the director of the National Police, General William Rene Salamanca, announced a reward of \u201cup to 200m pesos\u201d (about \u00a340,000) for information.<\/p>\n

Attorney General Francisco Barbosa said he had contacted Diaz twice to provide the 26-year-old with updates on the investigation.<\/p>\n

Barbosa told the player that information has been obtained regarding the possibility that his father could be in Venezuela \u2013 a situation which, Barbosa said, would require intervention by President Petro.<\/p>\n

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp dedicated Sunday\u2019s 3-0 Premier League victory over Nottingham Forest to Diaz, saying they had won \u201cfor our brother\u201d.<\/p>\n

Surrounded by his team-mates, Diogo Jota held up the Colombia player\u2019s number seven shirt after scoring Liverpool\u2019s first goal.<\/p>\n

The club said before Sunday\u2019s game that they were\u00a0\u201caware of an ongoing situation\u201d\u00a0involving the family of Diaz, adding the player\u2019s welfare \u201cwill continue to be our immediate priority\u201d.<\/p>\n

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