Sri Lanka's Former Intelligence Chief Detained Over 2019 Bombings

Sri Lankan authorities have detained the former head of the State Intelligence Service, Major-General Suresh Sallay, in connection with the 2019 Easter Sunday bombings that resulted in the deaths of 279 individuals, according to police sources. The arrests occurred early on a Wednesday morning in a suburb of the capital, Colombo.

Suresh Sallay is accused of having conspired and assisted in the attacks, which targeted churches and luxury hotels on April 21, 2019. An investigative officer informed the Agence France-Presse news agency that Sallay's arrest was based on allegations related to his involvement in the suicide bombings.

The coordinated attacks, which occurred almost simultaneously, injured over 500 people and involved the detonation of explosives at three churches and several hotels during breakfast hours. Among those killed were 45 foreign nationals. The bombings severely impacted Sri Lanka’s tourism sector, a vital part of the island nation's economy.

In the wake of the attacks, local authorities attributed responsibility to a group called National Thowheed Jamath, which is believed to have links to the Islamic State group. While the Sri Lankan leadership initially blamed local extremists, allegations arose suggesting that Sallay had personal ties to the attackers. A report by British broadcaster Channel 4 in 2023 highlighted claims that Sallay had met with members of the group before the bombings occurred.

Witness accounts indicated that Sallay was accused of allowing the attacks to proceed with the intention of influencing the presidential election in favour of Gotabaya Rajapaksa, who announced his candidacy shortly after the bombings and won a landslide victory.

Following the elections, Sallay was promoted to a senior intelligence role but was dismissed in 2024 when Anura Kumara Dissanayake became president, pledging to pursue accountability for the attacks. Other investigations revealed significant failures by government officials in responding to alerts from the Indian intelligence service regarding a potential attack.

Sri Lanka's Supreme Court condemned former President Maithripala Sirisena and other senior officials for their roles in failing to prevent the bombings, ordering Sirisena to pay 100 million rupees ($273,300) as compensation to victims' families. Additional fines amounting to 210 million rupees ($574,000) were also imposed on senior police officials and the Ministry of Defence Secretary.

The United Nations has called for transparency, urging Sri Lanka to release parts of previous inquiries into the attacks that remain undisclosed to the public.