Sri Lanka’s government announced this week the launch of a new investigation into the 2019 Easter Sunday bombings that killed 279 people.
The decision came in response to shortcomings in previous probes that failed to fully identify all individuals responsible for the deadliest attack against civilians in the country’s history. The suicide bombings targeted three churches and three hotels on April 21, 2019.
While a local jihadist group was initially blamed for the attacks, allegations have since surfaced against a senior Sri Lankan intelligence official accused of orchestrating the incident.
Authorities were also faulted for ignoring warnings from Indian intelligence about an imminent threat.
Foreign Minister Vijitha Herath said at a press conference that the new probe was necessary because “there have been several commissions of inquiry, but some evidence was suppressed.”
“We want to find out why there were irregularities in the previous investigations, take a fresh look at the incident, expose the culprits, and bring them to justice,” he added.
The Archdiocese of Colombo welcomed the decision, expressing hope that the new investigation would address the most pressing concerns.
“We urge the new government to look into the credible evidence presented by the Presidential Commission of Inquiry and the Parliament Oversight Committee, which recommended further investigations,” said Father Cyril Gamini Fernando, spokesperson for the Archdiocese.
The priest reminded the public that the Church’s calls for a fresh probe had previously been rejected by former presidents Ranil Wickremesinghe and Gotabaya Rajapaksa. He also pointed out, “There was political interference, too.”
Sri Lanka’s Catholic community has continued to demand accountability, maintaining that earlier investigations failed to resolve key questions.
During a visit on Sunday to one of the churches attacked in 2019, President Anura Kumara Dissanayake promised justice to the congregation. “There is a widespread belief in society that the Easter Sunday attacks may have been carried out to gain political mileage,” he said.
The decision to reopen the investigation came days after President Dissanayake removed the head of Sri Lanka’s intelligence service, Suresh Sallay.
Sallay has been linked to the attackers, with a report by British broadcaster Channel 4 last year alleging that he had met with the bombers before the attack.
A whistleblower claimed Sallay allowed the bombings to proceed in an attempt to influence the 2019 presidential election in favor of Gotabaya Rajapaksa, who declared his candidacy two days after the attacks and won a landslide victory in November.
Sallay, who has consistently denied any involvement in the bombings, was promoted to head Sri Lanka’s main intelligence agency following Rajapaksa’s election win.
The bombings injured over 500 people and killed 45 foreigners, severely impacting the island nation’s tourism industry.
Last year, the Supreme Court fined former President Maithripala Sirisena and four top officials more than $1.03 million in a civil case for their failure to act on intelligence warnings that could have prevented the attacks.
The United Nations called on Sri Lanka in April to release parts of previous inquiries that have not yet been made public.
The current administration aims to address those concerns with a renewed investigation to provide the answers long sought by victims’ families and the public. – with reports from Agence France-Presse.
