Colombo, February 26 The Catholic Church in Sri Lanka welcomed the arrest of former head of the State Intelligence Service, Suresh Sallay, in connection with the 2019 Easter terror attacks, saying the move reflected systematic investigations by the current government.
Sallay was arrested on Wednesday by the police's Criminal Investigation Department (CID). According to Sanjeewa Madawatta, a senior deputy inspector general, he will be detained for 72 hours for questioning under the Prevention of Terrorism Act.
"This is the result of the current systematic investigations carried out by the present government," Church spokesperson Father Cyril Gamini told reporters here.
"We all know that the Easter Sunday investigations were halted when Gotabaya Rajapaksa became president," he said.
On April 21, 2019, over 270 people, including 11 Indians, were killed when suicide bombers belonging to the local Islamist extremist group National Thawheed Jamaat (NTJ), linked to ISIS, carried out a series of blasts that tore through three churches and as many luxury hotels in Sri Lanka on Easter Sunday.
The Catholic Church in the Buddhist-majority country remains unhappy with the investigations, which they have branded as a political cover-up to protect the powerful who could have masterminded the attack.
Gamini said that after the current government assumed office 16 months ago, the probe was resumed and carried out in a satisfactory manner.
"We believe that Sallay was arrested based on credible evidence," he said, adding that those issuing statements against the arrest were attempting to derail the investigations.
Reiterating the Church’s long-standing demand, Gamini said, "Our demand has always been to reveal the hidden hands behind this atrocious attack, uncover the truth and bring those responsible to justice."
"Our demand, always as the Catholic Church was to reveal the hidden hands behind this atrocious attack, to reveal the truth and bring those responsible in the open to mete out Justice," he said.
Meanwhile, former foreign minister Ali Sabry, in a statement, criticised the arrest, alleging that it was aimed at politicising the handling of national security.
Sallay was serving in a diplomatic position overseas when the attack took place. He headed the state intelligence service under the then-Mahinda Rajapaksa government prior to 2015.
Sally was arrested based on the investigations thus far on the 2019 Easter Sunday attack, Madawatta told reporters on Wednesday.
His questioning should lead to the exposure of the mastermind of the suicide bombings, which devastated churches and five-star hotels, police said.
The then government, led by president Maithripala Sirisena, was accused of inaction to prevent the attacks despite intelligence shared by India.
The current National People's Power (NPP) government reopened the Easter terror attack investigations in late 2024, stating that political influence had earlier led to a cover-up.
