Sri Lanka’s Public Security Minister Ananda Wijepala told Parliament yesterday that investigators have gathered sufficient evidence to link former State Intelligence Service (SIS) chief, retired Major General Suresh Sallay, to the 2019 Easter Sunday bombings that killed more than 260 people.
Wijepala alleged that Sallay had prior knowledge of the attacks and related extremist activities. He claimed that, three weeks before the bombings, Sallay used four Muslim individuals to gather information, including attendance figures at a church in Negombo.
One of the individuals has been identified by witnesses as an ISIS-linked extremist who disappeared after the attacks, the minister said.
The minister further alleged that Sallay met an informant who had warned military intelligence about the attacks and later took steps to prevent the disclosure of information that could have exposed key details surrounding the bombings.
Wijepala rejected claims that Sallay had been subjected to inhumane treatment in custody, saying he had access to legal counsel and had made no complaints to authorities. He also accused Sallay of obstructing investigations by refusing to provide passwords to his electronic devices.