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Image caption: Luis Manuel D\u00edaz is said to be in good health after his release<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n
Colombian-born Liverpool footballer Luis D\u00edaz\u2019s father has been released by the left-wing guerrillas who kidnapped him 13 days ago, police sources and local media say.<\/p>\n
Luis Manuel D\u00edaz was handed over to United Nations and Catholic church officials by members of the National Liberation Army (ELN).<\/p>\n
He was abducted on 28 October in the family\u2019s hometown, Barrancas.<\/p>\n
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The footballer\u2019s mother was also seized but was freed within hours.<\/p>\n
Local media said Mr D\u00edaz had travelled by military helicopter to the city of Valledupar, where he would undergo a medical examination before being returned to his family.<\/p>\n
They also quoted authorities as saying that he was in a good state of health, with no signs of mistreatment.<\/p>\n
According to El Tiempo newspaper, there were tearful scenes in the neighbourhood where the couple lived, with family members taking to their cars to drive through the streets in celebration.<\/p>\n
Most of them were dressed in Liverpool team shirts bearing the number 23 and Luis D\u00edaz\u2019s name.<\/p>\n
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp told TNT Sports that the footballer was \u201creally happy\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are delighted by the news of [Luis D\u00edaz\u2019s] father\u2019s safe return and we thank all those involved in securing his release,\u201d the club said on Twitter.<\/p>\n
Luis Alfonso D\u00edaz, a cousin of the footballer\u2019s father, told Caracol Radio that it was \u201cemotional\u201d to learn that he had been freed \u201cafter so many days of sadness\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe feel a great satisfaction, we are glad that it\u2019s come to an end,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n
President Gustavo Petro reacted on X, formerly Twitter, with the message: \u201cLong live Freedom and Peace.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Colombian Football Federation issued a statement thanking all those responsible for Luis Manuel D\u00edaz\u2019s release, including the government, the military and the police.<\/p>\n
It added: \u201cFootball is passion in peace. Let no-one ever think of attacking that reality again.\u201d<\/p>\n On the day of the kidnap attack, the couple was accosted by the gunmen as they had stopped at a petrol station in Barrancas, in the northern province of La Guajira.<\/p>\n The kidnappers later abandoned Luis D\u00edaz\u2019s mother, Cilenis Marulanda, in a car as police closed in, but dragged away his father.<\/p>\n Police originally said that a criminal gang was most likely to blame.<\/p>\n But a government delegation \u2013 which is currently engaged in peace talks with the rebel group \u2013 later said that it had \u201cofficial knowledge\u201d that the kidnapping had been carried out by \u201ca unit belonging to the ELN\u201d.<\/p>\n The ELN is Colombia\u2019s main remaining active guerrilla group. It has been fighting the state since 1964 and has an estimated 2,500 members.<\/p>\n It is most active in the border region with Venezuela, where Luis Manuel D\u00edaz and his wife live.<\/p>\n The kidnapping caused outrage in Colombia, where Luis D\u00edaz \u2013 who is part of Colombia\u2019s national team \u2013 is immensely popular.<\/p>\n His Liverpool team has also shown its unwavering support. D\u00edaz scored a goal against Luton Town on Sunday, lifting his shirt to reveal the words in Spanish \u201cfreedom for papa\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201cEvery second, every minute our anxiety grows,\u201d D\u00edaz, 26, said in a statement released shortly after the match in England\u2019s Premier League.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n![\"diaz\"\/](\"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/_131663774_8cf0d845a212d2914565a5d71282b79296c5f3860_0_1583_10641000x672.jpg\")
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