{"id":87131,"date":"2026-02-25T18:18:38","date_gmt":"2026-02-25T22:18:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/?p=87131"},"modified":"2026-02-26T02:47:10","modified_gmt":"2026-02-26T06:47:10","slug":"sri-lankas-criminal-investigation-departmentcid-arrests-former-intelligence-chief-major-general-suresh-sallay-in-connection-with-the-deadly-easter-sunday-bombings-of-2019-the-arrest","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/?p=87131","title":{"rendered":"Sri Lanka\u2019s Criminal Investigation Department(CID) arrests former intelligence chief Major General Suresh Sallay in connection with the deadly Easter Sunday bombings of 2019; the arrest \u201ca major breakthrough\u201d was made under Sri Lanka\u2019s Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA), \u201cbased on adequate evidence\u201d."},"content":{"rendered":"

By<\/p>\n

Meera Srinivasan<\/strong><\/p>\n

Sri Lanka\u2019s Criminal Investigation Department on Wednesday (February 25, 2026) arrested former intelligence chief Major General Suresh Sallay in connection with the deadly Easter Sunday bombings of 2019 that killed around 270 people and injured several hundred, the police said.<\/p>\n

Speaking to The Hindu, a senior official confirmed that the arrest was made under Sri Lanka\u2019s Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA), \u201cbased on adequate evidence\u201d. The official described the arrest of the former head of the State Intelligence Service (SIS) as \u201ca major breakthrough\u201d in the case, which has been ongoing for nearly seven years, even as victims\u2019 families relentlessly demand justice.<\/p>\n

It is the first high-profile arrest in the case since President Anura Kumara Dissanayake assumed office in 2024. Securing justice for victims of the bombings was among his key pre-poll pledges. <\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Sri Lanka\u2019s Criminal Investigation Department(CID) arrests former intelligence chief Major General Suresh Sallay in connection with the deadly Easter Sunday bombings of 2019; the arrest \u201ca major breakthrough\u201d was made under Sri Lanka\u2019s Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA), \u201cbased on adequate evidence\u201d. <\/p>\n

On April 21, 2019, a network of nine suicide bombers \u2014 part of an Islamist radical group \u2014 carried out coordinated serial blasts targeting luxury hotels and churches in and around Colombo and the eastern city of Batticaloa on Easter Sunday. The incident shook the relative peace on the island, a decade after the end of a gruesome civil war. Official documents and cases filed show a discrepancy in the death toll, with figures quoted ranging from 259 to 296.<\/p>\n

Mr. Sallay was appointed head of the SIS in late 2019 after Gotabaya Rajapaksa won the presidential election in November that year, on a plank of national security. Mr. Sallay was the first military officer to be made chief of Sri Lanka\u2019s main intelligence agency. His name came under sharp focus in 2023 after a documentary by British broadcaster Channel 4 linked him to the Islamist bombers, based on a whistleblower\u2019s testimony. Mr. Sallay denied the allegations, and Sri Lanka\u2019s Ministry of Defence then said it \u201ccategorically refutes\u201d the \u201coutrageous allegations\u201d. <\/p>\n

Human rights activist Ruki Fernando, who has been advocating for victims\u2019 families, said that if there was sufficient evidence, Mr. Sallay must be held criminally accountable following due process. \u201cThose of us closely following proceedings have always felt that the ongoing case, the main one before the Special Trial-at-Bar [set up for extraordinary criminal proceedings], does not address all dimensions of the case. Suresh Sallay\u2019s arrest shows us that the case apparently goes beyond the network of suicide bombers,\u201d he told The Hindu. So far, the case includes over 23,000 charges and 25 accused.<\/p>\n

The Special Trial-at-Bar has been hearing the sensitive case \u2014 the deadliest terror attack in Sri Lanka since the end of the war in 2009 \u2014 five days a week under tight security. Last week, Mr. Fernando took to social media to express concern about being prohibited from witnessing the court proceedings, citing logistical and security reasons.<\/p>\n

While some, including victims\u2019 families, in Sri Lanka have expressed disappointment over the pace of the case, Mr. Fernando said: \u201cIt is very important that there\u2019s no undue delay, but it is equally important that there is no haste. Only a fair trial and adherence to due process will ensure that the rights of the accused and the aggrieved parties are not compromised.\u201d <\/p>\n

Further, underscoring his \u201cprincipled opposition\u201d to the PTA \u2014 a law rights defenders have described as \u201cdraconian\u201d and sought to repeal \u2014 Mr. Fernando, who was himself arrested under the law in 2014, said: \u201cThe PTA does not allow for due process. That is precisely why many of us are opposed to the legislation, regardless of whether it is an activist or someone else arrested under the law.\u201d <\/p>\n

Courtesy:The Hindu <\/em><\/p>\n

Tweet<\/a><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Meera Srinivasan Sri Lanka\u2019s Criminal Investigation Department on Wednesday (February 25, 2026) arrested former intelligence chief Major General Suresh Sallay in connection with the deadly Easter Sunday bombings of 2019 that killed around 270 people and injured several hundred, the police said. Speaking to The Hindu, a senior official confirmed that the arrest was …<\/p>\n

Continue reading ‘Sri Lanka\u2019s Criminal Investigation Department(CID) arrests former intelligence chief Major General Suresh Sallay in connection with the deadly Easter Sunday bombings of 2019; the arrest \u201ca major breakthrough\u201d was made under Sri Lanka\u2019s Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA), \u201cbased on adequate evidence\u201d.’ »<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[12],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/87131"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=87131"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/87131\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":87132,"href":"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/87131\/revisions\/87132"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=87131"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=87131"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=87131"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}