Sri Lanka: Easter bombings probe widens after ex-spy chief’s arrest

The arrest of Sri Lanka’s former intelligence chief has injected fresh momentum into investigations into the 2019 Easter Sunday bombings, while also bringing renewed scrutiny to the cross-border radicalisation network of the National Thowheeth Jama'ath (NTJ).

Retired Major-General Suresh Sallay, who previously headed Sri Lanka’s State Intelligence Service, was taken into custody in a move widely seen as a significant development in the long-running probe into the coordinated suicide attacks that killed 279 people.

The 2019 Easter Sunday bombings were a series of coordinated ISIS-inspired suicide attacks in Sri Lanka on 21 April 2019, targeting churches and luxury hotels.

The action follows a pledge by President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, elected in 2024, to bring all those responsible for the bombings to justice. Sallay was appointed chief of the State Intelligence Service in 2019 after Gotabaya Rajapaksa assumed the presidency.

Allegations against Sallay suggest that intelligence lapses may have been deliberate, with claims that the attacks were allowed to proceed to influence the 2019 presidential election, ultimately won by Rajapaksa. Sallay has denied any involvement in or prior knowledge of the bombings.

A senior Sri Lankan political figure, former foreign minister Ali Sabry, described the developments as deeply troubling. The arrest has also sparked political debate within Sri Lanka, with some warning that it could reopen tensions linked to the island’s civil war and the dismantling of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), a campaign in which Sallay was previously said to have played a key role.

Indian officials said the situation is being closely monitored. While there have been sporadic attempts to revive LTTE-linked networks, security sources indicated that such efforts have faced significant hurdles. Both India and Sri Lanka have maintained close coordination to prevent any resurgence of the group.

At the same time, Indian intelligence agencies remain concerned about the activities of the NTJ and Jamathei Millathu Ibrahim (JMI), the organisations held responsible for the Easter attacks. According to Indian officials, the NTJ in particular had developed a presence in parts of southern India and was involved in online radicalisation efforts.

The alleged mastermind of the bombings, Mohammad Zahran Hashim, is said to have travelled frequently to Tamil Nadu and maintained contacts across several districts.

Indian investigators have linked Hashim to radicalisation efforts in areas including Coimbatore, Nagapattinam, Kanyakumari and Malappuram. He was also accused of influencing Jamesha Mubeen, who carried out a failed attempt to bomb a temple in Coimbatore in 2022.

A probe by India’s National Investigation Agency found that a significant number of radicalisation videos recovered during investigations featured speeches by Hashim, who had pledged allegiance to the Islamic State.

Officials indicated that any disclosures by Sallay regarding the structure or operations of Hashim’s network could assist ongoing Indian investigations into NTJ-linked modules in southern states.

Despite the political sensitivities, Indian authorities have refrained from commenting directly on Sallay or the allegations against him. However, officials underscored that a comprehensive probe into the Easter bombings remains critical, particularly given the potential implications for regional security.

The renewed inquiry in Sri Lanka comes amid strengthened bilateral ties between New Delhi and Colombo, with cooperation increasingly focused on economic investment and security coordination. Analysts say the outcome of the revived investigation could have significant ramifications for both domestic politics in Sri Lanka and counter-terrorism efforts across South Asia.

With IANS inputs