Former Sri Lankan Intelligence Chief Arrested in Connection with 2019 Easter Bombings

Sri Lanka. The long-disputed and suspected 2019 Easter Sunday bombing case has taken a new turn following the arrest of the country's former intelligence chief in connection with the incident. Police stated on Wednesday that retired Major General Suresh Salle was taken into custody from a suburb of the capital, Colombo, on charges of conspiracy and aiding and abetting related to the attack that killed 279 people, including 45 foreign nationals.

According to investigative officials, Salle is accused of maintaining contact with individuals involved in the planning of the Easter attack and abetting the conspiracy. He has previously denied allegations of organizing the suicide attacks. This arrest, made as the seventh anniversary of the April 21 attack approaches, is being viewed as a long-awaited step.

The coordinated suicide bombings targeted three high-end hotels in Colombo, two Roman Catholic churches, and one evangelical church outside the capital. Although a domestic jihadist group was held responsible, questions about the background of the incident have persisted. It became the deadliest attack against civilians since the nearly four-decade-long Tamil separatist war ended in 2009.

Salle was promoted to Chief of the State Intelligence Service (SIS) in 2019 after Gotabaya Rajapaksa became President. However, he was removed from office after Anura Kumar Dissanayake was elected President in 2024. The country's Roman Catholic Church has repeatedly accused the government of failing to identify the real planners.

British broadcaster Channel 4 claimed in 2023 that Salle was linked to the Islamist attackers and had met them before the attack. A whistleblower also alleged that the attack was allowed to happen with the intention of influencing the presidential election.

Gotabaya Rajapaksa announced his candidacy two days after the attack and won the election on a commitment to eradicate Islamist extremism.

Meanwhile, a former jihadi member claimed that the group initially received financial support from a military intelligence unit. At that time, the government admitted to the army's involvement behind the extremist group. However, investigators stated that although the Islamic State (ISIS) claimed responsibility after the bombings, no evidence of direct foreign links has been confirmed.

More than 500 people were injured in the attack, and the tourism industry suffered a severe impact. In 2021, US officials filed charges against three Sri Lankans for their involvement in the incident that killed five American citizens. Three of the 25 suspects convicted by a Sri Lankan high court are related to that same case.

The Supreme Court fined former President Maithripala Sirisena and four senior officials 1.003 million dollars for failing to prevent the attack. The United Nations has also called for the release of some confidential parts of previous investigations into the incident.

With the arrest of the former intelligence chief, the demand to bring out the truth behind the Easter bombing in Sri Lanka has intensified again.