Easter Bombings 2019 : Sri Lanka To Investigate Why Information From India Was Overlooked

Lanka to probe why prior info from Indian intel was ignored

The President of Sri Lanka, Ranil Wickremesinghe, has established a Committee of Inquiry (CoI) to investigate the response of Sri Lankan intelligence services. Indian counterparts will provide prior information regarding the 2019 Easter Sunday bombings, which claimed the lives of approximately 270 individuals.

Decision By President Wickremesinghe

President Wickremesinghe’s decision follows the final report of the Commission of Inquiry, dated January 31, 2021. Revealing advance warnings from Indian intelligence agencies and other sources about the imminent attacks.

As per a Wednesday statement from the President’s Media Division (PMD). In which they stated that the committee’s mandate includes assessing whether the State Intelligence Service (SIS), Chief of National Intelligence (CNI), and other relevant authorities took adequate actions. Which will be based on prior intelligence and evaluating the effectiveness of these measures.

President Wickremesinghe has granted full authority to the committee, chaired by retired high court judge A.N.J. De Alwis, to interrogate pertinent officials and scrutinize crucial documents to conduct a thorough investigation into these issues.

Furthermore, the committee will examine how the Directorate of Military Intelligence (DMI) initially believed. That the killing of two police officers in Vavunathivu on November 30, 2018, was linked to the LTTE. This belief persisted for four months before identifying suspects allegedly connected to the National Thowheed Jamath (NTJ).

The Final Report

The committee has received a compact disk containing the final report of the Commission of Inquiry on the 2019 bomb attacks. It also provided a Senior Assistant Secretary to the President who will serve as the Secretary to the Committee of Inquiry.

We expect the committee to present its report, which will include findings and recommendations, to the President by September 15, 2024.

The 2019 Easter Sunday bombings, a series of coordinated bomb attacks on three star hotels in Colombo. Where three churches carried out by ISIS suicide bombers, resulted in the deaths of 270 individuals. It included at least 45 foreign nationals, and injured over 500 others.

Richa Kaushik