Sri Lanka’s Criminal Investigation Department arrested former intelligence chief Retired Major General Suresh Sallay on Wednesday in Colombo over his alleged links to the April 21, 2019 Easter Sunday suicide bombings — a dramatic development in the long-running probe into the deadly Easter attacks. Police said officers took him into custody at dawn from a suburb of the capital after investigators presented new evidence this month.
Authorities stated that Sallay had prior connections with members of the National Thowheed Jamaath, the Islamist extremist group blamed for the coordinated attacks on churches and luxury hotels. Law enforcement agencies are now examining whether he had advance knowledge of the plot and whether intelligence failures were systemic or deliberate.
The blasts targeted St. Anthony’s Shrine in Colombo, St. Sebastian’s Church in Negombo and Zion Church in Batticaloa, along with three luxury hotels. The attacks killed 279 people, including foreign nationals, and injured hundreds more, sending shockwaves across South Asia.
Officials said they now have “sufficient grounds” to proceed, signalling possible indictments ahead. Victims’ groups have called the arrest long overdue and are demanding full accountability. Meanwhile, international observers are closely monitoring whether the case leads to prosecutions or deepens political tensions.