I wasn’t aware of threat, says Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena
5 years, 8 months ago

I wasn’t aware of threat, says Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena

The Hindu  

President Maithripala Sirisena has said he was not aware of likely bomb attacks in the country, though Sri Lankan security agencies had received prior intelligence, including from India, on the imminent threat. The information received from the State intelligence agencies was not passed on to him by relevant officials, said President Sirisena, who helms the Law and Order, and Defence ministries. Following Sunday’s serial bombings, which killed more than two hundred people, Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe too had said that he was not kept updated of the imminent security risk, though intelligence agencies knew of it. Meanwhile, responding to Sri Lanka's claim that the Easter Sunday attacks were a retaliation to the New Zealand Christchurch mosque attack in March, New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has said that her government was not aware of any intelligence.

Sri Lanka Sirisena Lankan President  agencies  threat  lankan  president  minister  aware  wasnt  intelligence  security  prime  maithripala  zealand  received  sirisena  sri

History of this topic

Sri Lanka Reopens Probe into 2019 Easter Bombings, Ten Years Later
3 months ago

Sri Lanka Reopens Probe into 2019 Easter Bombings, Ten Years Later

The Hindu  

Sri Lanka's new government announces a probe into the 2019 Easter bombings that killed 279 people. The previous investigations failed to identify other culprits responsible for the attack. The government wants to find out why there were irregularities in the previous investigations, take a fresh look at the incident, expose the culprits, and bring them to justice.

Easter Sunday bombings: Former Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena settles compensation for victims
4 months, 2 weeks ago

Easter Sunday bombings: Former Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena settles compensation for victims

The Hindu  

Sri Lanka's former President Maithripala Sirisena has settled in full the SLR 100 million compensation for the victims of the 2019 Easter Sunday bombings that killed 270 people, including 11 Indians, during his tenure. Mr. Sirisena was ordered by the Supreme Court to pay SLRs 100 million as compensation to victims for his negligence in preventing the country’s one of …

Sri Lanka will investigate allegations of intelligence complicity in 2019 Easter bombings
1 year, 4 months ago

Sri Lanka will investigate allegations of intelligence complicity in 2019 Easter bombings

The Hindu  

Sri Lanka’s government will appoint a parliamentary committee to investigate allegations made in a British television report that Sri Lankan intelligence had complicity in the 2019 Easter Sunday bombings that killed 269 people. A man interviewed in the Channel 4 videos released on Tuesday said he arranged a meeting between a local Islamic State-inspired group and a top state intelligence …

Sri Lanka will investigate allegations of intelligence complicity in 2019 Easter bombings
1 year, 4 months ago

Sri Lanka will investigate allegations of intelligence complicity in 2019 Easter bombings

Associated Press  

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka — Sri Lanka’s government will appoint a parliamentary committee to investigate allegations made in a British television report that officials with the South Asian country’s intelligence had complicity in the 2019 Easter Sunday bombings that killed 269 people, including 42 foreigners from 14 countries. Channel 4 interviewed a man interviewed who said he arranged a meeting between …

Sri Lanka to probe allegation of intelligence complicity in 2019 bombings
1 year, 4 months ago

Sri Lanka to probe allegation of intelligence complicity in 2019 bombings

Al Jazeera  

British TV report alleges a top Sri Lankan intelligence official hatched the deadly Easter Sunday bombings plot to help Rajapaksa win the election. Sri Lanka’s government will appoint a parliamentary committee to investigate allegations made in a British television report that Sri Lankan intelligence had complicity in the 2019 Easter Sunday bombings that killed 269 people. A man interviewed in …

Sri Lanka to investigate allegations of official complicity in 2019 Easter bombings
1 year, 4 months ago

Sri Lanka to investigate allegations of official complicity in 2019 Easter bombings

LA Times  

Six near-simultaneous suicide bombings in churches and tourist hotels in Sri Lanka in April 2019 killed 269 people. Sri Lanka’s government will appoint a parliamentary committee to investigate allegations made in a British television report that Sri Lankan intelligence was complicit in the 2019 Easter Sunday bombings that killed 269 people. A man interviewed in videos aired by Britain’s Channel …

Sri Lanka's ex-President Sirisena apologises for 2019 Easter Sunday bombings
1 year, 11 months ago

Sri Lanka's ex-President Sirisena apologises for 2019 Easter Sunday bombings

The Hindu  

Sri Lanka’s former President Maithripala Sirisena on January 31 extended an apology to the country's minority Catholic community for the devastating 2019 Easter Sunday bombings that killed over 270 people, including 11 Indians. Nine suicide bombers belonging to the local Islamist extremist group National Thawheed Jamaat linked to ISIS carried out a series of blasts that tore through three Catholic …

Sri Lanka’s former President ordered to pay compensation for failing to prevent 2019 Easter bombings
1 year, 11 months ago

Sri Lanka’s former President ordered to pay compensation for failing to prevent 2019 Easter bombings

The Hindu  

Sri Lanka’s Supreme Court on Thursday ordered former President Maithripala Sirisena to pay a compensation of LKR 100 million to victims of the April 2019 Easter Sunday terror blasts, while pointing to a “reckless” intelligence failure on the part of the Executive. Sri Lanka’s Catholic church has been flagging the lack of progress in the probe, and the Archbishop of …

Sri Lanka Easter attacks | Ex-President Maithripala Sirisena named suspect
2 years, 3 months ago

Sri Lanka Easter attacks | Ex-President Maithripala Sirisena named suspect

The Hindu  

A Sri Lankan court on Friday named former President Maithripala Sirisena a suspect in a case pertaining to the 2019 Easter terror bombings and directed him to appear in court this October. ‘Grand political plot’ In March, Archbishop of Colombo Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith told the UN Human Rights Council that the incident was a “grand political plot”. A parliamentary select …

Ex-Sri Lankan PM Sirisena named suspect in Easter Sunday attacks that killed 270
2 years, 3 months ago

Ex-Sri Lankan PM Sirisena named suspect in Easter Sunday attacks that killed 270

India TV News  

Highlights Sri Lankan court named ex president Maithripala Sirisena as a suspect in 2019 Easter Sunday attacks Sirisena, 71, will now have to appear in court on October 14 He had denied the allegation A Sri Lankan court on Friday named former president Maithripala Sirisena as a suspect in the 2019 Easter bombings in which 270 people, including 11 Indians, …

Sri Lanka clears police, defence chiefs over Easter bombings
2 years, 10 months ago

Sri Lanka clears police, defence chiefs over Easter bombings

The Hindu  

Sri Lanka's High Court on Friday acquitted two top officials accused of "crimes against humanity" for failing to prevent the 2019 Easter Sunday bombings that killed 279 people. The state had indicted the two men in November for failing to act on early warnings from an Indian intelligence agency that local jihadists were planning a string of suicide bombings in …

Easter bombings: Sri Lanka probes charges against spy agencies
3 years, 5 months ago

Easter bombings: Sri Lanka probes charges against spy agencies

Al Jazeera  

President orders investigation into allegations that some intelligence officials knew and met with people who carried out 2019 bombings. Sri Lanka’s President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has ordered an investigation into allegations that some members of state intelligence agencies knew and met with people who carried out Easter Sunday bombings in 2019 that killed more than 260 people, a government official said. …

Sri Lanka Easter Attack Probe Panel Summons Former PM Ranil Wickremesinghe
4 years, 4 months ago

Sri Lanka Easter Attack Probe Panel Summons Former PM Ranil Wickremesinghe

News 18  

Sri Lanka's former prime minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, who suffered a crushing defeat in the parliamentary polls, has been summoned by a presidential probe panel on August 18 to record his statement on the deadly Easter Sunday attacks, officials said on Tuesday. Nine suicide bombers belonging to local Islamist extremist group National Thawheed Jamaat linked to ISIS carried out a series …

Sri Lanka spy chief, president blamed for Easter attack lapses
5 years, 2 months ago

Sri Lanka spy chief, president blamed for Easter attack lapses

Al Jazeera  

Parliament inquiry says bitter feud between president and prime minister led to security lapses before attacks. A Sri Lankan parliamentary committee that investigated last April’s Easter suicide bombings has concluded the country’s spy chief was primarily responsible for the intelligence failure that led to the death of 259 people in the attacks. In a report released on Wednesday, the committee …

Sri Lanka President blamed for Easter attacks lapses
5 years, 2 months ago

Sri Lanka President blamed for Easter attacks lapses

The Hindu  

A parliamentary panel in Sri Lanka has accused President Maithripala Sirisena of “actively undermining” government and security systems, leading to serious lapses ahead of the Easter terror attacks. “This failure by the SIS has resulted in hundreds of deaths, many more injured and immeasurable devastation to Sri Lanka and Sri Lankans and that must not be treated lightly,” the report …

All suspects of Easter terror attacks arrested: Sri Lanka Prez
5 years, 5 months ago

All suspects of Easter terror attacks arrested: Sri Lanka Prez

The Quint  

Colombo, July 17 Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena said that all suspects involved in the Easter Sunday terror explosions had been arrested following extensive investigations and search operations carried out by security forces and the suspects may receive the death penalty as there was clear evidence against them, media reported on Wednesday. Speaking at a function in Malabe, the outskirts …

Easter Sunday bombings: International drug syndicates orchestrated attacks, says Sri Lankan president Maithripala Sirisena
5 years, 5 months ago

Easter Sunday bombings: International drug syndicates orchestrated attacks, says Sri Lankan president Maithripala Sirisena

Firstpost  

International drug syndicates orchestrated Sri Lanka’s deadly Easter Sunday bombings, the country’s leader claimed on Monday, despite earlier blaming the attacks on Islamists Colombo: International drug syndicates orchestrated Sri Lanka’s deadly Easter Sunday bombings, the country’s leader claimed on Monday, despite earlier blaming the attacks on Islamists. But in a statement issued by his office Monday, Sirisena said the attacks …

Sri Lankan govt resumes parliamentary probe into Easter blasts despite President Sirisena's objections
5 years, 6 months ago

Sri Lankan govt resumes parliamentary probe into Easter blasts despite President Sirisena's objections

India Today  

The Sri Lankan government on Tuesday began the Parliamentary Select Committee investigation into the security lapses surrounding the Easter Sunday suicide attacks that killed 258 people including 11 Indians, despite strong objection by President Maithripala Sirisena. President Maithripala Sirisena, who is the head of the Cabinet, warned last week that he would not attend the Cabinet unless the government took …

Sri Lankan President Vows to Block Easter Attack Probe
5 years, 7 months ago

Sri Lankan President Vows to Block Easter Attack Probe

The Quint  

Just last week, Sirisena's intelligence chief Sisira Mendis exposed that the president had failed to hold regular security review meetings to assess potential threats from Islamic radicals. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be visiting Sri Lanka on Sunday. Modi’s itinerary includes meeting Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena, Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, Opposition leader Mahinda Rajapaksa and Tamil National Alliance leader …

More attacks feared, say Sri Lanka officials
5 years, 8 months ago

More attacks feared, say Sri Lanka officials

The Hindu  

Sri Lanka bolstered security on Friday with fears of attacks against bridges in the capital as the Prime Minister vowed to hunt down any remaining Islamic State extremists behind the deadly Easter bombings. Sri Lanka’s minority Muslims, meanwhile, held Friday prayers under tight security, condemning the jihadist attacks. The warnings came as Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe said some of the …

Sri Lanka receives intelligence inputs of attacks planned on Buddhist temples by female bombers posing as devotees
5 years, 8 months ago

Sri Lanka receives intelligence inputs of attacks planned on Buddhist temples by female bombers posing as devotees

Op India  

According to media reports, Sri Lanka’s Intelligence agency has received inputs of possible attacks on Buddhist temples by female bombers of the banned local terror outfit National Thawheeth Jamath posing as devotees. Sri Lankan authorities confirmed that amongst the nine bombers who executed the dastardly Easter Sunday attack, there was a female suicide bomber too. As a security measure in …

Sri Lanka's intel failure result of political rivalry between PM, president; ‘lack of communication’ between leaders aided Easter Sunday blasts
5 years, 8 months ago

Sri Lanka's intel failure result of political rivalry between PM, president; ‘lack of communication’ between leaders aided Easter Sunday blasts

Firstpost  

Government dysfunction and an intelligence failure that preceded the Easter Sunday bombings in Sri Lanka are traced to simmering divisions between the president and prime minister after a weeks-long political crisis that crippled the country last year. Colombo: Government dysfunction and an intelligence failure that preceded the Easter Sunday bombings in Sri Lanka are traced to simmering divisions between the …

Sri Lanka PM apologises for failing to prevent Easter bombings
5 years, 8 months ago

Sri Lanka PM apologises for failing to prevent Easter bombings

India TV News  

Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe on Friday apologised to public for failing to prevent the Easter bombings that left 253 people dead and several hundreds injured. A series of eight coordinated blasts ripped through three churches and three high-end hotels frequented by tourists in the country's deadliest violence since the devastating civil war ended in 2009. The Islamic State …

Sri Lankan police hunt 140 after Easter bombings
5 years, 8 months ago

Sri Lankan police hunt 140 after Easter bombings

The Hindu  

Sri Lankan police are trying to track down 140 people believed to be linked to the Islamic State, which claimed responsibility for the Easter Sunday suicide bombings that killed 253, as shooting erupted in the east during a raid. Muslims in Sri Lanka were urged to pray at home after the State Intelligence Services warned of possible car bomb attacks, …

Maithripala Sirisena admits Sri Lanka govt is 'responsible' for Easter Sunday attacks due to lapses in communicating intel inputs
5 years, 8 months ago

Maithripala Sirisena admits Sri Lanka govt is 'responsible' for Easter Sunday attacks due to lapses in communicating intel inputs

Firstpost  

Sri Lanka president Maithripala Sirisena on Friday appealed to the island nation not to view its minority Muslim community as terrorists in the wake of Easter Sunday attacks that officials say was carried out by a local Muslim extremist group. Sri Lanka president Maithripala Sirisena on Friday admitted that his government is “responsible” for security lapses that led to the …

Two Islamic State men linked to Sri Lanka Easter blasts
5 years, 8 months ago

Two Islamic State men linked to Sri Lanka Easter blasts

The Hindu  

Two suspects involved in the deadly Easter attacks in Sri Lanka are Islamic State returnees from Syria and Iraq, investigators have found. So far Sri Lanka’s investigating agencies have identified 139 persons as members of the NTJ and associated groups and “traced all of them”, an official Colombo-based source said. “It is believed that not all of them are militant, …

No advance intelligence on Easter bombings, says US Ambassador to Sri Lanka Alaina Teplitz
5 years, 8 months ago

No advance intelligence on Easter bombings, says US Ambassador to Sri Lanka Alaina Teplitz

Firstpost  

A Sri Lankan minister had said earlier this week that India and the United States had provided information before the bombings on three churches and three hotels which authorities have blamed on a local Islamist group Colombo: The US ambassador to Sri Lanka has denied the United States had prior knowledge of the Easter militant attacks that it passed to …

No intelligence linking Sri Lanka attacks to Christchurch: NZ PM
5 years, 8 months ago

No intelligence linking Sri Lanka attacks to Christchurch: NZ PM

Deccan Chronicle  

Wellington: New Zealand's Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said on Wednesday that her government was not aware of any intelligence suggesting that a devastating attack on Easter Sunday in Sri Lanka was in retaliation for deadly shootings on a mosques in Christchurch. Sri Lanka's junior minister for Defence, Ruwan Wijewardene, told his country's parliament on Tuesday that an initial investigation had …

New Zealand has 'not yet seen' intel linking Sri Lanka blasts to Christchurch attacks, says Jacinda Ardern's office
5 years, 8 months ago

New Zealand has 'not yet seen' intel linking Sri Lanka blasts to Christchurch attacks, says Jacinda Ardern's office

Firstpost  

New Zealand has not yet seen any intelligence reports linking the bombings in Sri Lanka to the mosque attacks in Christchurch, Jacinda Ardern’s office said. Wellington: New Zealand has “not yet seen” any intelligence reports linking the deadly bombings in Sri Lanka to last month’s mosque massacre in Christchurch, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern’s office said late on Tuesday. A Sri …

Sri Lanka president says tip-off on attacks failed to reach him, vows intel shake-up
5 years, 8 months ago

Sri Lanka president says tip-off on attacks failed to reach him, vows intel shake-up

India TV News  

Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena has vowed he would change the country's defence chiefs after officials failed to act on warnings ahead of a series of blasts that left more than 300 people dead. In a televised address, Sirisena said officials who received warnings from international intelligence agencies did not share those warnings with him. Sri Lanka Health Minister Rajitha …

India gave prior intelligence on jihadi threat to Sri Lankan govt, Opposition
5 years, 8 months ago

India gave prior intelligence on jihadi threat to Sri Lankan govt, Opposition

India Today  

Sri Lankan government is trying to grapple with the aftermath of the terrorist attack with many questioning the handling of the intelligence alerts and prior threat alerts. On Tuesday, Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe held a press briefing where he confirmed that India had provided prior intelligence on the jihadi threat. Sources said Indian High Commission and Indian properties …

[Video] Sri Lanka serial blasts: As ISIS claims responsibility CCTV footage of suspect surfaces- Opindia News
5 years, 8 months ago

[Video] Sri Lanka serial blasts: As ISIS claims responsibility CCTV footage of suspect surfaces- Opindia News

Op India  

The Islamic State has claimed responsibility for the dastardly Easter Sunday terrorist attacks in Sri Lanka that saw over 321 people dead and more than 500 injured across 8 locations in and around Colombo. CCTV footage Video of Srilanka attack suspect ISIS bomber: https://youtu.be/T5rLA7p5Yn4 The AMAQ message reportedly states that the Easter Sunday attacks were carried out by soldiers of …

Sri Lanka links Easter blasts to Christchurch mosque attacks
5 years, 8 months ago

Sri Lanka links Easter blasts to Christchurch mosque attacks

The Hindu  

April 23, 2019 04:41 pm | Updated November 28, 2021 09:48 am IST - Colombo The serial bomb attacks on Easter Sunday, which claimed over 320 lives in Sri Lanka, were a retaliation for the Christchurch mosque shootings in New Zealand on March 15, State Minister of Defence Ruwan Wijewardene told Parliament on Tuesday, based on “initial evidence” available with …

Sri Lanka blasts: Initial probe shows attacks were 'retaliation' for New Zealand mosque shootings, says Defence Minister Ruwan Wijewardene
5 years, 8 months ago

Sri Lanka blasts: Initial probe shows attacks were 'retaliation' for New Zealand mosque shootings, says Defence Minister Ruwan Wijewardene

Firstpost  

Suicide bomb attacks in Sri Lanka killed more than 300 people on Easter Sunday. Fifty people were killed in shooting attacks on two mosques in the New Zealand city of Christchurch on 15 March Colombo: An initial probe into deadly suicide bomb attacks in Sri Lanka that killed more than 300 people shows it was “retaliation for Christchurch,” the country’s …

Sri Lanka’s horror is a grim warning to India
5 years, 8 months ago

Sri Lanka’s horror is a grim warning to India

Deccan Chronicle  

Sri Lanka has beamed a grim warning to India. But Sri Lanka’s own Tamils, nearly one-fifth of the population, were left to the mercy of the Sinhalese Buddhists, accounting for more than 70 per cent of the people. In his advisory, Sri Lanka’s deputy inspector-general of police Priyalal Dassanayake wrote that the radical Islamist National Thoweeth Jama’ath was planning nationwide …

India issued alert to Sri Lanka on possible blasts
5 years, 8 months ago

India issued alert to Sri Lanka on possible blasts

The Hindu  

India had issued an alert to Sri Lanka in early April on possible bomb attacks at different spots in the island, including the Indian High Commission building, sources in Colombo and New Delhi said, pointing to a possible lapse on the part of Sri Lanka’s security agencies. Health Minister Rajitha Senaratne told media-persons on Monday that “international” intelligence agencies had …

Sri Lanka bomb blasts: Growing divide within government and history of Emergency paint grim picture ahead
5 years, 8 months ago

Sri Lanka bomb blasts: Growing divide within government and history of Emergency paint grim picture ahead

Firstpost  

The announcement of State of Emergency in Sri Lanka comes against a backdrop where activists have been campaigning for the removal or improvement of counter-terror legislation in the country In a press conference, Sri Lankan government spokesperson and minister Rajitha Senaratne confirmed that information about possible suicide attacks at Christian places of worship and tourist areas had been shared prior …

Sri Lanka Easter blasts: NIA had intelligence on blasts
5 years, 8 months ago

Sri Lanka Easter blasts: NIA had intelligence on blasts

The Hindu  

The National Investigation Agency had specific intelligence on Sunday’s serial blasts in Sri Lanka. While examining an Islamic State sympathiser in Tamil Nadu six months ago, investigators got to know of the terror plot and alerted the authorities concerned to pass on the information to Sri Lanka. Confirming this to The Hindu on April 22, a senior police officer said …

Sri Lankan government confirms that Islamist terror group National Thowheed Jama’ath responsible for blasts that killed 290 people
5 years, 8 months ago

Sri Lankan government confirms that Islamist terror group National Thowheed Jama’ath responsible for blasts that killed 290 people

Op India  

On Monday, the Sri Lankan government confirmed that a local organisation named ‘National Thowheed Jama’ath’ was responsible for the terrorist attacks across three cities of Sri Lanka on Easter Sunday that killed 290 people and injured over 500. According to reports, Rajitha Senaratne, the Sri Lankan Minister for Health addressed the media and said they were still ascertaining that whether …

Easter Sunday blasts: Sri Lanka names local Islamist group National Thowheed Jamaath
5 years, 8 months ago

Easter Sunday blasts: Sri Lanka names local Islamist group National Thowheed Jamaath

The Hindu  

Sri Lankan authorities on Monday named a little-known local Islamist radical group, the National Thowheed Jamaath, as responsible for the ghastly Easter Sunday serial blasts that claimed over 250 lives and injured over 500 across the island nation. While no domestic or international organisation has so far claimed responsibility for the attacks, Health Minister Rajitha Senaratne said the National Thowheed …

Sri Lanka Blasts | President Maithripala Sirisena appoints committee to probe Easter Sunday attacks
5 years, 8 months ago

Sri Lanka Blasts | President Maithripala Sirisena appoints committee to probe Easter Sunday attacks

India TV News  

President Maithripala Sirisena on Monday appointed a three-member committee headed by an apex court judge to probe the country's deadliest terror attack and submit a report within two weeks, according to media reports. Supreme Court judge Vijith Malalgoda, former IGP N K Ilangakoon and Former Law & Order Ministry Secretary Padamasiri Jayamanne have been appointed as members of the committee, …

Sri Lankan PM admits they failed to act on warning, reports suggest India had warned about possible terror attack too
5 years, 8 months ago

Sri Lankan PM admits they failed to act on warning, reports suggest India had warned about possible terror attack too

Op India  

Yesterday, a series of almost simultaneous 8 blasts rocked the Sri Lankan capital f Colombo and other places. As per a report on News18, top intelligence sources have informed that Zahran Hasheem of the radical Islamist group National Thowheed Jama’ath had planned to carry out an Istishhad in Sri Lanka. Yesterday, it was also reported that Sri Lanka’s police chief …

Sri Lanka blast news - LIVE: Bomb attacks leave at least 200 dead with multiple hotels and churches targeted on Easter Sunday
5 years, 8 months ago

Sri Lanka blast news - LIVE: Bomb attacks leave at least 200 dead with multiple hotels and churches targeted on Easter Sunday

The Independent  

✕ Close Sri Lanka Easter Sunday explosions: What we know so far For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates …

Discover Related