New Delhi: Former Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena’s startling claim that he has the information about who the actual perpetrators were behind the 2019 Eastern Sunday attacks has created a huge outcry in the political circles of India’s southern neighbour. Sirisena said on Saturday that he made this revelation based on “crucial information” he had received three weeks ago.
On April 21, 2019, a series of coordinated terrorist suicide bombings occurred in Sri Lanka, targeting Christian churches and luxury hotels. It was one of the deadliest terrorist attacks in the country’s history. The attacks took place on Easter Sunday, targeting three churches in different cities holding Easter services as well as three luxury hotels in Colombo.
Two local Islamist extremist groups called National Thowheed Jamath and Jammiyathul Millathu Ibrahim were initially blamed for the attacks. A total of 269 people were killed, including at least 45 foreign nationals, three police officers, and eight suicide bombers. Many of the victims were Sri Lankan Christians and foreign tourists. Among those killed were 11 Indian nationals.
The attacks started around 8.45 am with six nearly simultaneous bombings at the churches and hotels. Additional explosions occurred later at a housing complex and guest house. Some of the targeted churches included St Anthony’s Shrine in Colombo, St Sebastian's Church in Negombo and the Zion Church in Batticaloa. The three luxury hotels hit were the Cinnamon Grand, Shangri-La and The Kingsbury in Colombo.
In the days after, the Islamic State terrorist group claimed responsibility for the attacks, though the group has made unverified claims in the past. Over 100 suspects were arrested in the aftermath as authorities investigated the attacks, which were widely condemned globally as acts of brutal violence. The bombings marked a devastating resurgence of violence in Sri Lanka after the end of the civil war in 2009.
Sirisena first made his statement about having received information about the attacks in the central Sri Lankan city of Kandy on Friday. This raised demands for his arrest for having suppressed the truth. Then on Saturday, he said that he had received the information only three weeks ago. According to The Island newspaper, lawyers said that Sirisena had violated a number of provisions of several statutes, including the Penal Code, Criminal Procedure Code and the Prevention of Terrorism Act.
“Why did he keep this vital information under wraps for three weeks?” a senior lawyer was quoted as saying. Sirisena said he was ready to share the information with the judges "in camera". “It could be kept from the public eye only until the judgement on the matter is released. There is no way of keeping evidence in camera a secret forever,” he said.
Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) Gampaha district MP Kavinda Jayawardena was the first to lodge a complaint against Sirisena. It was followed by a complaint from Lawyers for Justice (LfJ). "If the CID and other respective bodies do not act fast, we are ready to get a writ from the Appeal Court against them, including the Attorney General and the CID, to conduct a probe,” The Island report quoted LfJ’s Attorney-at-Law Manoj Nanayakkara as saying.
It is worth mentioning that Sirisena’s startling statement came just weeks ahead of the fifth anniversary of the Easter Sunday attacks. “There is reason to believe that Sirisena is enacting a political drama as the fifth anniversary of the Easter Sunday tragedy is approaching,” Director of National Catholic Mass Communications Rev Fr Jude Krishantha Fernando was quoted as saying. “Whatever his intentions, he has committed a serious offence. We are waiting to see how our law-enforcing authorities will respond.”
Minister of Public Security Tiran Alles, meanwhile, ordered the police to launch a probe into Sirisena’s claim. On Monday, Sirisena gave his statement to the CID as was sought. Meanwhile, in a related interesting development, Sajin Vas Gunawardena, International Affairs secretary of Sirisena’s Sri Lanka Freedom Party, reportedly engaged in a confidential discussion with US Ambassador to Sri Lanka Julie Chung.
Reports suggest that Gunawardane and Chung held an hour-long meeting over lunch at a renowned restaurant in Colombo. Following the meeting, Chung left the restaurant first. Gunawardane and his wife and child were seen leaving the restaurant sometime later.
Read more: No International Inquiry Possible Into 2019 Easter Bombings, Reiterates Sri Lankan President
