Arrest of Former Intelligence Chief Reignites 2019 Easter Bombings Probe

Sri Lanka's former chief of state intelligence, Suresh Sallay, was apprehended on Wednesday over connections to the devastating 2019 Easter bombings, police announced. The attack claimed 270 lives, including some Indians, at luxury hotels in Colombo.

Sallay, a retired Major General, is being detained for 72 hours to facilitate a thorough investigation under the Prevention of Terrorism Act, according to Sanjeewa Madawatta, senior deputy inspector general. Sallay previously led the state intelligence service during the Mahinda Rajapaksa government prior to 2015.

The Easter Sunday attack was executed by a local jihadi group, with suspicions of prior knowledge within the defense establishment. Despite shared intelligence from India, the government, led by President Maithripala Sirisena, was accused of inaction. Efforts to uncover the mastermind are ongoing under the current National People's Power government, which reopened the investigation in 2024, citing earlier political interference.