Sri Lankan court frees two officials charged over 2019 blasts
A Sri Lankan court has freed two top former officials who were charged with negligence in connection with 2019 Easter Sunday suicide bomb attacks that killed 260 people
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.A Sri Lankan court on Friday freed two top former officials who had been charged with negligence in connection with 2019 Easter Sunday suicide bomb attacks that killed 260 people.
Former police chief Pujitha Jayasundara and former Secretary to the Ministry of Defense Hemasiri Fernando were released by the high court from charges that they failed to prevent the deadly attacks despite receiving near-specific intelligence warnings from foreign agencies prior to the attacks.
Officials have charged dozens of others who are alleged to have received weapons training and participated in indoctrination classes from the two local Islamic extremist groups accused of carrying out the attacks.
The groups had pledged allegiance to the Islamic State group.
Three churches and three luxury hotels were targeted by suicide bombers on April 21, 2019, killing worshippers at Easter services and locals and foreigners having breakfast at the hotels.
Friction between the country’s president and prime minister — who belonged to different political parties — was blamed for the government’s failure to act on the intelligence warnings.
Archbishop of Colombo Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith has repeatedly blamed President Gotabaya Rajapaksa's government for not taking action against former President Maithripala Sirisena and other top officials for failing to prevent the attacks.
Ranjith has said the true conspirators in the attacks could still be at large and questioned the government over allegations that some members of state intelligence knew and had met with at least one attacker.
Police this week arrested Catholic activist Shehan Malaka Gamage, who alleged that some politicians and officials may have deliberately failed to act on intelligence ahead of the 2019 attacks as they looked ahead to that year’s national elections.
A court later released him on bail.