News
Operation Flycatcher: disrupting Lanka’s terror networks
Boosting the ability of frontline border officers to detect travelers as potential terrorists was the focus of a counter- terrorism (CT) and border management operation led by INTERPOL across Sri Lanka, the INTERPOL said.
It said: Codenamed Operation Flycatcher II, the five-day (8 – 12 November) operation saw the arrest of six suspects linked to terrorism, with further arrests and prosecutions foreseen globally as investigations continue to unfold.
The operation saw Sri Lanka’s police, border and immigration agencies undertake specialized INTERPOL training on forensic identification techniques, CT investigative skills and INTERPOL’s data sharing mechanisms before carrying out tactical operations in the field.
“Access to information in our databases is at the heart of INTERPOL’S counter-terrorism operations, especially those that can prevent travel,” said INTERPOL’s Director of Counter-Terrorism, Gregory Hinds.
“Operation Flycatcher demonstrates the importance for countries to use INTERPOL’s wide range of criminal databases in strategic places like border crossings,” added Hinds.
With biometric data playing a growing role in tackling crime and terrorism, officers worked together using INTERPOL’s biometric identification capabilities to identify potential terrorism suspects.
The operation saw more than 800 hits and new uploads to INTERPOL’s wide range of criminal databases, particularly its stolen travel documents database with more than 100 million documents reported stolen from all over the world.
Stolen passports are a key asset for terrorist mobility, particularly for foreign terrorist fighters returning from conflict zones.
INTERPOL’s databases contain details on around 135,000 foreign terrorist fighters, with data collected from hotspots such as borders, battlefields and prisons.
Highlighting how terrorist activity is often linked to other crime areas, more than 200,000 checks on INTERPOL’s wanted persons database led not only to the identification of potential terrorists but also men and women wanted for forging travel documents, fraud and financial crime, weapons smuggling and human trafficking.
The financing of terrorism is a core component of INTERPOL’s strategy in the fight against terrorism.
Traveler’s names were checked against INTERPOL’s databases of suspicious financial transaction in the framework of INTERPOL’s Financial-to-Law Enforcement exercise (FINLEX).
Seven suspects and five suspicious monetary transactions were detected, prompting investigations in associated countries.
“Boosting the way we work nationally to detect terror suspects travelling in Sri Lanka means making sure all our police agencies have the necessary capabilities, skillsets and mechanisms in place to prevent and investigate the crime area holistically,” said Chief Inspector Lakshman Rajakaruna who heads operations at the INTERPOL National Central Bureau in Colombo.
‘This is why such a wide range of Sri Lankan agencies took part in this important operation, coming together with the common goal of tackling terrorism from all angles, together with INTERPOL,’’ added Rajakaruna.
INTERPOL coordinated the cooperative action of nine national law enforcement agencies working together across Sri Lanka and at Bandaranayaka International Airport using INTERPOL capabilities to detect potential terrorists: INTERPOL National Central Bureau for Sri Lanka in Colombo, Counter Terrorism and Investigation Division, Criminal Investigation Department (CID), Criminal Records Department (CRD), Financial Investigation Unit of CID, Financial Intelligence Unit Central Bank of Sri Lanka, Immigration and Emigration Department, Special Task Force and State Intelligence Service (SIS).
Ahead of operations, Sri Lankan agencies received and analysed INTERPOL-sourced intelligence on transnational terrorist networks to better understand their methods, motives and financing and – ultimately – to identify and arrest suspects.
Operations in the field enabled investigators to link a number of suspects to terrorist organizations active in Sri Lanka, including the LTTE, the Islamic State (IS), and the National Thowheeth Jama’ath which was the terrorist group responsible for the 2019 Easter Bombings attack in Sri Lanka.
In April 2019, nine suicide bombers simultaneously detonated their devices in seven locations around Sri Lanka killing 269 people and leaving 500 injured.
Whereas domestic terrorism – principally from LTTE – represented Sri Lanka’s main terrorist threat for decades, the attack illustrated escalating IS-inspired religious extremism.
Cooperation between the Sri Lankan authorities and INTERPOL resulted in a number of strong leads and arrests. One of the alleged ringleaders behind the bomb attacks, Ahamed Milhan Hayathu Mohamed, was arrested in the Middle East following the publication of an INTERPOL Red Notice. He was later extradited back to Sri Lanka, along with four other suspects, following their arrest in the Middle East.
Flycatcher is a CT operation carried out in the framework of INTERPOL’s CT programme for Sri Lanka and Maldives (CT-SLaM) funded by the European Union and jointly implemented with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime.
The first Flycatcher operation was conducted with the Maldives in July 2021 and involved officers from several national law enforcement agencies. Results included some 1,000 hits against INTERPOL’s databases, one arrest for a firearms-related crime, and intelligence gathering to feed associated investigations worldwide.
Interdicted Deputy Director at the National Hospital, Sri Lanka (NHSL) Dr. Rukshan Bellana yesterday (29) alleged that the powers that be moved against him for seeking the CIABOC (Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption) investigation into a massive fraud at the NHSL laboratory.
Dr. Bellana said so in response to The Island query regarding the circumstances the Health Ministry interdicted him on 18 December, through a letter, as directed by the Health Committee of the Public Service (PSC) Commission. “That letter has been signed by an Additional Secretary, as Health Secretary Dr. Anil Jasinghe was overseas,” Dr. Bellana said.
Dr. Bellana stated that the government had paid for reagents, contaminated or close to expiry dates, obtained from a leading local medical supplier, since 2022. He emphasised that his complaint to the CIABOC, and subsequent complaint to the Criminal Investigation Department (CID), were entirely based on the issues raised by the National Audit Office (NAO).
Responding to another query, Dr. Bellana said that the public funds, amounting to Rs. 900 mn, had been spent on chemical reagents past expiry dates. Regardless of the intervention made by the NAO, the NHSL continued to procure supplies from the same company, Dr. Bellana said, adding that he had received the unconditional support of the civil society. Among them were Dr. Chamal Sanjeewa, President of Medical and Civil Rights Professional Association of Doctors (MCPA), President of Academy of Health Professionals Ravi Kumudesh, and leader of Mage Rata Sanjaya Mahawatta.
Dr. Bellana said that he had complained about the scam to the CIABOC in June this year.
Dr. Chamal Sanjeewa, who also lodged a complaint with CIABOC, regarding the same matter, is on record as having said in September this year that the reagents had been procured over a three-year period without the proper approval of the Medical Supplies Division of the Ministry. Dr. Sanjeewa has alleged that some of the reagents were either contaminated or close to expiry dates, while contracts had been given to a single company at unapproved prices.
Dr. Bellana said that had there been a proper system for CIABOC and law enforcement authorities to act on findings made by the NAO they wouldn’t have personally intervened in the NHSL laboratory matter. “Parliament should look into this. Did Parliament take up the NHSL laboratory matter at the relevant watchdog committee or at the Sectoral Oversight Committee that handled health?” Dr. Bellana asked.
Asked whether the letter that informed him of his interdiction gave any specific reason for the action taken, Dr. Bellana said the Ministry had found fault with him for speaking to the media. The irate ex-official said that he never hesitated to take a stand against injustice. “When former Health Minister Keheliya Rambukwella was accused of corruption, pertaining to medical procurement, I condemned the Minister. Lambasted those responsible for wrongdoings.”
Dr. Bellana said that the NAO had dealt with mega crime involving the public and private sector. “That is the undeniable truth. Parliament should look into this as public money is its responsibility. Having vowed to stamp out corruption, the NPP was allowing and encouraging those who had been making money at the expense of the sick, Dr. Bellana said.
Dr. Bellana said that as many as 10,000 tests were conducted daily at the NHSL. The racketeers had been active during Aragalaya as the NHSL and the private supplier reached agreement in 2022 and the process continued even after the last presidential election, conducted in September 2024.
Dr. Bellana said that the long delay in finalising the Auditor General’s appointment exposed the government. If those holding high political office were genuinely interested in fighting corruption, they wouldn’t have allowed that Office of AG stay vacant even for a day.
Dr. Bellana noted the tough statements issued by the Bar Association, Transparency International Sri Lanka and the Committee on Public Finance demanding the immediate appointment of AG.
Health Ministry officials were not available for comment.
By Shamindra Ferdinando
BIA unions, including those affiliated to political parties, are demanding bonuses equal to five months’ basic salaries.
A group of workers yesterday (29) protested outside BIA urging the Airport and Aviation Services Sri Lanka (Private) Ltd to increase their bonuses. They claimed that the Chairman of Airport and Aviation Services Sri Lanka (Private) Ltd., Air Vice Marshal (Retd) Harsha Abeywickrama, had assured them that they would be paid bonuses worth five times their basic salaries.
The SriLankan Nidahas Sewaka Sangamaya (SLNSS) of the airport, the Podujana Sewaka Sangamaya, the Pragathishili Sewaka Sangamaya, the Jathika Sevaka Sangamaya, and the SLNSS of SriLankan Airlines joined the protest.
The Sri Lanka Mahaweli Authority has issued an urgent safety warning to residents living along the banks of the Kotmale Oya and the Mahaweli River, as water levels in the Kotmale Reservoir are reaching maximum capacity.
According to a special weather advisory issued by the Department of Meteorology on December 26, 2025, heavy rainfall is expected in the catchment areas over the coming days.
In response, the Mahaweli Authority released a statement on December 27, warning that spill gates may have to be opened to manage the water flow.
Eng. A.M.A.K. Seneviratne, Resident Engineer and Deputy Director of the Kotmale Reservoir, stated that the opening of spill gates would lead to a significant rise in the water levels of both the Kotmale Oya and the Mahaweli River.
Areas on Alert
Residents in the following Divisional Secretariat divisions are urged to remain extra vigilant:
• Nuwara Eliya District: Kotmale West and Kotmale East.
• Kandy District: Udapalatha, Udunuwara, Doluwa, Pasbage Korale, and Ganga Ihala Korale.
Authorities have advised the public in these low-lying and river-adjacent areas to monitor the situation closely and take necessary precautions to ensure their safety and the protection of their property.
By S.K. Samaranayake
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