"Retired Major-General Suresh Sallay was taken into custody at dawn in a suburb of the capital, police said on Wednesday. He was arrested for conspiracy and aiding and abetting the Easter Sunday attacks, an investigating officer told the AFP news agency. Sallay, who was promoted to State Intelligence Service (SIS) chief in 2019 after Gotabaya Rajapaksa became president, had been accused of involvement in the coordinated suicide bombings."
"Six almost simultaneous suicide bomb attacks struck Easter congregations at three churches and guests at three luxury hotels during breakfast. The bombings injured more than 500 people, also killed 45 foreign nationals, and dealt a severe blow to the island's vital tourism sector."
"A whistleblower told the network that he had permitted the attack to proceed with the intention of influencing that year's presidential election in favour of Rajapaksa. Two days after the bombings, Rajapaksa declared his candidacy and went on to win the November vote in a landslide after promising to stamp out violence."
Sri Lanka's retired Major-General Suresh Sallay, former State Intelligence Service chief, was arrested for conspiracy and aiding the 2019 Easter Sunday bombings that killed 279 people and injured over 500. Six coordinated suicide bomb attacks targeted three churches and three luxury hotels during Easter celebrations. Sallay was accused of orchestrating the attacks to influence the presidential election in favor of Gotabaya Rajapaksa, who declared candidacy two days after the bombings and won in a landslide. Sallay was promoted to head the SIS following Rajapaksa's victory but dismissed after Anura Kumara Dissanayake won the 2024 presidency, promising prosecutions of those responsible.
#easter-sunday-bombings #sri-lanka-intelligence #political-conspiracy #terrorism-investigation #presidential-election
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