Sri Lanka’s former intelligence chief arrested over 2019 Easter Sunday attacks

COLOMBO: Sri Lanka’s former State Intelligence Services (SIS) chief, Major General (retired) Suresh Sallay, was arrested on Wednesday in connection with the 2019 Easter Sunday terror attacks, The Daily Mirror Online reported.

According to The Daily Mirror Online, Police Spokesman ASP FU Wootler confirmed that Sallay was taken into custody early on Wednesday morning in Peliyagoda by a team of officers from the country’s Criminal Investigation Department (CID).

In a major development, the CID has arrested retired Major General Suresh Sallay, the former head of the SIS.
Police have invoked the PTA to detain & interrogate him for 72 hours. Arrest follows ongoing investigations into national security matters and past intelligence conduct. pic.twitter.com/2SBJhFFrLD

— Manjula Basnayake (@BasnayakeM) February 25, 2026

On April 21, 2019, eight explosions rattled the Sri Lankan cities of Colombo, Negombo, Kochchikede and Batticaloa as the Christian community celebrated Easter Sunday. The attacks targeted three churches and three luxury hotels in almost simultaneous suicide bombings, killing 279 people, including 11 Indians, and injuring over 500. The attacks also dealt a severe blow to the country’s tourism sector, a critical part of Sri Lanka’s economy.

According to Al Jazeera, Sallay, who was promoted to SIS chief in 2019 after Gotabaya Rajapaksa assumed the presidency of the country, has faced allegations of involvement in orchestrating the bombings, which he has denied.

Reports by British broadcaster Channel 4 in 2023 suggested that Sallay had connections with the attackers and had met them prior to the attacks, Al Jazeera reported.

A whistleblower claimed that he allowed the attacks to proceed to influence the 2019 presidential election in Rajapaksa’s favour. Two days after the bombings, Rajapaksa announced his candidacy and later won the November election.

In 2023, Sri Lanka’s Supreme Court held former President Maithripala Sirisena and four senior officials responsible for failing to prevent the attacks. Sirisena was ordered to pay USD 273,300 in compensation to victims’ relatives, while the then police chief, two senior intelligence officers, and the Ministry of Defence secretary were jointly ordered to pay USD 574,000.

The United Nations has also urged Sri Lanka to release parts of previous investigations into the attacks that were not made public, highlighting ongoing concerns about accountability. This arrest marks a significant development in the long-running probe into one of Sri Lanka’s deadliest terrorist attacks. (ANI)