The parents of Liverpool footballer Luis Diaz were reportedly kidnapped in Colombia.
Reports suggest the winger’s mother has since been rescued but his father remains missing. Local news reports say the couple were stopped while driving a van in the town of Barrancas, in La Guajira, where Diaz grew up.
The Daily Mail says the suspected two kidnappers commendeered the van before fleeing the scene. News website Semana says national Gaula police director Colonel Geovanni Cristancho is travelling to the northern region to spearhead the search and rescue.
Military and police services are said to be working together to find Diaz’s father.
Colombia’s Attorney General’s Office has said it is also looking into the incident. Writing on X, formerly Twitter, it said: “From the moment in which the Fiscalía General of the Nation learned of the kidnapping of the parents of the Colombian player Luis Díaz, in the Barrancas sector, in La Guajira , a specialized team of prosecutors, officials of the Technical Investigation Corps, CTI , and investigators from the Gaula Police and Military are in urgent action in order to find the location of these people, clarify the facts and find those responsible.”
The Colombian military added: “Our and troops support the search operation for the parents of soccer player Luis Díaz, who are apparently victims of kidnapping.”
Blu Radio Colombia shared a video from Diaz’s hometown. It reported his mother had been found.
Diaz, 26, recently featured for Liverpool in the Merseyside derby against Everton. Before that he had been linking up with the Colombian national side.
