The authorities in Colombia have mobilized the nationwide police and the navy to search for the daddy of the soccer star Luis Díaz, a Colombian standout for the English membership Liverpool whose mother and father had been kidnapped in his hometown on Saturday. Given soccer’s recognition right here, the incident captured the South American nation’s consideration, however it additionally stoked fears of accelerating insecurity in a nation the place such kidnappings had been turning into much less frequent till a surge lately.
Mr. Díaz’s mom, Cilenis Marulanda, was rescued hours after she was kidnapped, President Gustavo Petro of Colombia mentioned on Saturday evening. The Colombian nationwide police, the navy and a unit that focuses on kidnapping dispatched officers, troopers, automobiles and plane to search out his father, Luis Manuel Díaz.
The mother and father of Mr. Díaz, who is named Lucho, had been in a automobile at a fuel station in Barrancas — a city in La Guajira, a area of northern Colombia alongside the Caribbean Sea and bordering Venezuela — after they had been kidnapped by armed males on Saturday afternoon, in line with native experiences and the authorities.
The Colombian authorities on Sunday morning introduced a reward of 200 million pesos (roughly $48,000) for any info that will assist find the elder Mr. Díaz.
They mentioned they had been in a rush to search out him as a result of they feared that he may be taken to neighboring Venezuela, a rustic marred by years of political, financial and social unrest. Luis Fernando Velasco, the Colombian minister of the inside, advised reporters on Sunday that the authorities had been attempting to dam the suspects’ path to Venezuela as a result of their touring there was “one hypothesis” they had been working below.
“It’s not the only one, to cover all sides,” he continued. “But we’re doing a gigantic operation, and I ask all people in La Guajira that might be in the area to help us and turn in all the information that they can. What they’ve done with Lucho Díaz is not just to Lucho Díaz but to all of Colombia, and all of Colombia needs to react.”
While particulars of Ms. Marulanda’s rescue weren’t instantly recognized, she was protected as of Saturday evening, William René Salamanca, the top of the Colombian nationwide police, mentioned. In a video posted on Saturday evening on X, previously often called Twitter, Mr. Salamanca spoke briefly on the telephone with Ms. Marulanda.
In one other video, posted by Mr. Salamanca on Sunday morning, he spoke on the telephone with the youthful Mr. Díaz by way of the Colombian ambassador to the United Kingdom, Roy Barreras. Mr. Salamanca advised Mr. Díaz, 26, that the Colombian authorities had been sparing no effort in looking for his father and that the scenario had moved the nation. He additionally advised Mr. Díaz that he was already in La Guajira and was headed to his hometown quickly to assist lead the operation.
Mr. Díaz is reportedly incomes greater than $3 million a 12 months, and thus could have been a goal for extortion, mentioned Sergio Guzmán, the director of Colombia Risk Analysis, a political danger consultancy, primarily based within the Colombian capital, Bogotá.
“I’m presuming it’s an extortion kidnapping, which wouldn’t necessarily be out of the norm, because Luis Díaz is not politically connected or an important player politically, and neither are his parents,” Mr. Guzmán mentioned. “But his notoriety, his rise to fame and perceived wealth could be more for that kind of hostage taking.”
Although kidnappings have dropped dramatically since Colombia’s peace treaty with rebels in 2016, Mr. Guzmán mentioned the apply had surged over the previous two years. The Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, used extortion kidnapping to fund their operations. But lately, Mr. Guzmán mentioned, different legal teams have been battling for territory beforehand held by the demobilized FARC, and thus extra extortions, kidnappings and ransoms have been taking place.
“I think it feeds into the existing pessimism about the country’s security situation,” Mr. Guzmán mentioned of the kidnapping of Mr. Díaz’s mother and father. He additionally famous that Colombians had been voting on Sunday in regional elections. “If you look at the latest polls, the majority of Colombians feel dissatisfied with the overall direction of the country, but also citizens feel less safe than they have previously,” he mentioned.
Soccer is the preferred sport within the nation of almost 52 million, and Mr. Díaz has shined for his nation’s nationwide group, profitable the Golden Boot award, alongside the Argentine famous person Lionel Messi, for being the highest scorer throughout the 2021 Copa América match.
Mr. Díaz’s father was a gifted novice participant in Barrancas and educated his son. Mr. Díaz, who’s of Wayúu descent and comes from an space typically neglected for soccer expertise, rose from enjoying for his native Indigenous group to bigger golf equipment in Colombia earlier than finally touchdown in Europe after which final 12 months at Liverpool, one of many largest golf equipment on the planet, within the Premier League in England.
Mr. Díaz, who has scored twice in 9 appearances for Liverpool this season, was not within the lineup on Sunday in opposition to Nottingham Forest after a last-minute change by Liverpool’s supervisor, Jürgen Klopp. Mr. Klopp advised reporters on Sunday that what was taking place to Mr. Díaz and his household was “a worrying situation for all of us and it was a pretty tough night.”
After the Liverpool participant Diogo Jota scored throughout Sunday’s 3-0 win, he ran to the sideline and held up Mr. Díaz’s jersey.
“It is our fervent hope that the matter is resolved safely and at the earliest possible opportunity,” Liverpool mentioned in a press release on Sunday morning. “In the meantime, the player’s welfare will continue to be our immediate priority.”
Source: www.nytimes.com