Former intelligence chief arrested in 2019 Easter Sunday bombing case in Sri Lanka

International Desk, PNN

Sri Lankan police have arrested the country’s former intelligence chief, retired Major General Suresh Sallai, in connection with the devastating Easter Sunday bombings in 2019. The attacks killed 279 people and caused extensive damage to the country’s tourism industry.

Police reported that Sallai was taken into custody early Wednesday from a suburb of the capital. Investigating officers told AFP, “He has been arrested on charges of conspiracy and aiding and abetting the Easter Sunday attacks.”

Sallai, who had been promoted to head the Sri Lanka State Intelligence Service (SIS) after Gotabaya Rajapaksa became president in 2019, was accused of being involved in coordinating the suicide bombings. He has denied all allegations.

The attacks consisted of six nearly simultaneous suicide bombings at three churches and three luxury hotels during prayer services, injuring over 500 people and killing 45 foreigners, severely affecting Sri Lanka’s key tourism sector.

Initial investigations had blamed local militant groups, but Sallai was also alleged to have been involved in planning the attacks. In a 2023 report by Britain’s Channel 4, it was revealed that Sallai met with the bombers prior to the attacks, which were believed to benefit Rajapaksa in the 2019 presidential elections. Two days after the attacks, Rajapaksa announced his candidacy and later won the election by a significant margin.

Sallai was removed from his post in 2024 after Anura Kumara Dissanayake became president. The new administration promised to begin judicial proceedings against him for the attacks.

Other investigations revealed that Indian intelligence agencies had warned of the attacks in advance, but Sri Lankan authorities failed to act effectively. In 2023, the Sri Lankan Supreme Court held former President Maithripala Sirisena and four senior officials responsible, ordering compensation payments to the victims’ families. The United Nations has requested that Sri Lanka release parts of previous investigative reports that were not made public.