A Sri Lankan court has imposed an overseas travel ban on former president Gotabaya Rajapaksa and two former military officers in connection with ongoing investigations into the 2019 Easter Sunday attacks. The ban was issued after the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) raised concerns that their flight could hamper the probe into the coordinated suicide bombings that killed 270 people. The current government reopened the investigation in late 2024, alleging political influence led to an earlier cover-up.
Kin of 2019 Easter Sunday attack victims in Sri Lanka protested against alleged opposition attempts to obstruct ongoing investigations. The protests follow the arrest of former intelligence chief Suresh Sallay and accusations of political conspiracy related to the attacks. The current government has reopened the probe, citing past political interference.
Sri Lanka's response to the Easter attacks has been slow and politically contested, unlike India's swift institutional reforms after the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks, observes Colonel R Hariharan (retd).
Sri Lanka commemorated the 7th anniversary of the Easter blasts, with Archbishop of Colombo Malcolm Cardinal Ranjith urging authorities to investigate individuals directly or indirectly involved in the deadly attacks, irrespective of their status.
A Sri Lankan court has ordered the continued detention of the former head of the state intelligence service in connection with the 2019 Easter Sunday bombings that killed nearly 270 people.
Mohamed Naufar, Mohamed Anwar Mohamed Riskan and Ahamed Milhan Hayathu Moahmed are currently in custody in Sri Lanka, according to a federal criminal complaint unsealed Friday.
Suresh Sallay, former intelligence chief, has been ordered to appear in a Sri Lankan court next month as the third suspect in the 2019 Easter Sunday attacks probe. He is currently detained under the Prevention of Terrorism Act.
Sri Lankan opposition leaders are protesting the detention and alleged mistreatment of former state intelligence chief Suresh Sallay, who was hospitalised after a hunger strike. Sallay was arrested in connection with the 2019 Easter Sunday bombings investigation, and his wife has raised concerns about his treatment and restricted access.
A Sri Lankan court has ordered a five-member expert judicial panel to investigate claims of torture made by former state intelligence chief Suresh Sallay, who is currently detained under the anti-terror act and on a hunger strike. Sallay was arrested in connection with the 2019 Easter Sunday attacks.
On April 17, 2022, hundreds of Sri Lankans lit candles and displayed banners and placards during a silent protest in the capital Colombo, calling for justice for victims of the April 2019 Easter Sunday bomb attacks.
"My heart goes out to the families of the victims and the injured," Modi said.
Trump also brushed off criticism of his expletive-laden references to causing destruction in Iran if they failed to make a deal to end the war.
Both sides have now revealed a preference for escalation over strategic defeat, and each new provocation narrows the space for the next pause. The Touska seizure, Iran's refusal to negotiate under blockade, Israel's strikes on Iranian oil infrastructure -- all of these add up to an increasingly untenable situation. This makes the wild card -- Trump and his motormouth -- more consequential than ever, notes Prem Panicker in his must read blog on the Iran War.
The 'rescue' operation occurred within kilometres of Iran's underground tunnel complex at Isfahan, assessed by the IAEA and US intelligence as holding a substantial portion of the country's 60 per cent enriched uranium stockpile. Retired senior US military officers have highlighted that the mission's footprint -- hundreds of special operators, multiple heavy-lift aircraft deep inside Iran -- appears outsized for recovering a single airman. Prem Panicker continues his must read blog on the Iran War.
Trump may strike. He may announce productive talks and extend again. He may do both at the same time. Iran will not open the Strait on someone else's terms, so no matter what happens, that problem will remain unsolved. And the IRGC will still be collecting its $2 million toll from every ship bold enough to ask permission to pass.
The purge in Washington does not pause the war. Strikes continue, Hormuz remains closed, and Brent crude is still dancing around $109 a barrel. For India, the command chaos in the Pentagon is another layer of uncertainty piled on five weeks of conflict that was already straining every buffer Delhi has.
A Sri Lankan court on Friday named former president Maithripala Sirisena as a suspect in the 2019 Easter bombings in which 270 people, including 11 Indians, were killed.
The Pahalgam massacre highlights the evolution of terrorism into a multi-domain challenge. India's response must similarly evolve -- from tactical retaliation to comprehensive strategic deterrence. To establish a credible and sustained deterrent, India must also carry out continuous kinetic operations, both overt and covert, suggest Sakshit Raina and Rahul Mishra. To establish a credible and sustained deterrent, India must also carry out continuous kinetic operations, both overt and covert, suggest Sakshit Raina & Rahul Mishra.
The curfew was imposed on Sunday after a group of miscreants carrying swords attacked some people travelling on a three-wheeler in Porathota area of the town. The vehicle was set on fire.
The suspicious van was wanted over the terror attacks and was taken into custody at Sungavila.
Sushil Nathaniel, an LIC manager from Indore, was shot dead by terrorists in Pahalgam, Kashmir, after being forced to recite the 'Kalma'. His family has demanded the harshest punishment for the assailants. Nathaniel, who was on a family trip to celebrate Easter, was among 26 people killed in the attack. His daughter was injured in the attack, while his wife and son survived.
Forty suspects, including the driver of a van allegedly used by the suicide bombers, have been arrested in connection with the attacks which shook Sri Lanka.
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Sunday proposed holding direct peace talks with Ukraine in Istanbul on May 15 without any preconditions, a move welcomed by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who insisted that Moscow must agree to a ceasefire first.
The NIA had alerted the island nation that ISIS terrorists were planning to carry out strikes there.
The PM said the government knew that Sri Lankan nationals who joined the Islamic State had returned, but they could not be arrested as joining a foreign terrorist organisation is not against the law in the island nation.
The details of the attackers and their relatives linked to the bombings was released by the police on Wednesday.
The National Tawheed Jamath is suspected of plotting the deadly Easter blasts.
Authorities also released photographs of six suspects, including three women, wanted for their involvement in the attacks and sought information regarding them from the public.
Seven persons had been arrested in connection with the blasts.
Police said they have seized a large haul of explosives, a drone and a banner with the Islamic State logo.
There are communal organisations among all religious groups, but the ultimate goal of religions and such outfits is different, Geevarghese Mar Yulios, the metropolitan of the Kunnamkulam Diocese of the Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church, told reporters in Thrissur.
-- Seven suicide bombers believed to be members of an Islamist extremist group carried out the series of explosions. -- Police have so far arrested 24 people - mostly members of an Islamist extremist group - in connection with the blasts
The commander said that by looking at the pattern of operation and the places that the suspects travelled, there has to be some outside involvement of some leadership or instructions.
He said that the Sri Lankan authorities have arrested more of their associates but it won't be right to reveal any more details on them as the investigation is going on.
Meanwhile, a three-member committee appointed to probe the attacks that killed 258 people, including 11 Indians, on Monday submitted its final report to President Maithripala Sirisena.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, in the 2020 Country Reports on Terrorism issued on Thursday, said that regionally, terrorist groups continued to operate from Pakistan.
On this day last year, ICC Anti-Corruption council officer Steve Richardson chose to eat breakfast in the executive lounge on the ninth floor of Cinnamon Grand instead of heading down to restaurant, a decision that saved him from the Easter Bombings. Richardson, who was in the country along with his colleagues to investigate corruption charges against Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC), was staying on the ninth floor of the hotel in Colombo, one of the six locations where bombs went off in a series of blasts, killing and injuring hundreds of people across the country.
In another tweet, Akhtar said they expect reciprocation from Sri Lanka.
President Maithripala Sirisena has issued a gazette notice banning three Islamic extremist organisations, including National Thowheeth Jama'ath that was blamed for the Easter bombings.
The attorney general instructed the authorities to charge them for their failure to prevent the Easter terror attacks.
