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Ottawa mass killing: Lawyer says accused Sri Lankan student is in protective custody

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OTTAWA, March 15 (Canadian Press) Febrio De-Zoysa, the teenager accused in the brutal killing of six Sri Lankans in Ottawa, is now held in protective custody, his lawyer Ewan Lyttle has said.

“I can comment that he’s in protective custody. He’s doing OK,” Lyttle was quoted as saying by Canadian media reports. Inmates are often held in protective custody to shield them from other prisoners.

Lyttle’s comments came after De-Zoysa made a brief court appearance that took place by phone on Thursday (March 14).

De-Zoysa’s matter was adjourned until March 28, to give Lyttle time to receive and begin reviewing disclosure from the Crown, a process he suggested would span months.

According to Ottawa Police, De-Zoysa had come to Canada as an international student and had been living with the victims, who were also newcomers from Sri Lanka.

Six people – a mother, her 4 young children and a family acquaintance – were knifed to death inside a townhouse the family was renting on Berrigan Drive near Palmadeo Drive in Ottawa’s southern suburb of Barrhaven in the late hours of last Wednesday (March 06).

The victims were identified as Darshani Dilanthika Ekanayake (35 years), Inaka (7 years), Ashwini (4 years), Rinyana (2 years), Kelly (24 weeks) and Gamini Amarakoon (40 years).

Meanwhile, Ekanayake’s husband Dhanushka Wickramasinghe, who was hospitalized with critical injuries sustained in the attack, is now in a stable condition.

The 19-year-old was arrested at the scene on March 06 and is charged with six counts of first-degree murder and one count of attempted murder. The killer’s motive still remain unknown.

The following day, Algonquin College president Claude Brulé released a statement confirming that De-Zoysa was a student at the institution and that his last semester of attendance was Winter 2023.

During Thursday’s appearance before Justice of Peace Karen Baum, the Crown entered new information to correct the spellings of some of the victims’ names that had been entered at De-Zoysa’s first court appearance last week. The charges remained unchanged.

Waiving his rights to arraignment made it necessary for the full list of charges against De-Zoysa to be read into the court record again.

After registering his client’s language of choice as English, Lyttle has requested an adjournment until March 28. According to foreign media, the entire matter has taken less than four minutes.

Speaking to reporters outside the courthouse, Lyttle has not commented when asked if his client might use mental health as a defence or if he understood what had happened.

Lyttle has met with De-Zoysa both by video and in person at the Innes Road jail. “He’s in protective custody. He’s doing OK,” he said.

Lyttle said he had also been in contact with De-Zoysa’s family, but would not say where they were, only that they were not in Sri Lanka.

“They’re obviously very upset,” he added.

Against this backdrop, Google has taken steps to terminate the YouTube channel associated with the 19-year-old to which he reportedly had posted videos of the ‘Minecraft’ video game. The tech giant said if a user’s off-platform behavior harms the YouTube community, they may take action in accordance with YouTube’s creator responsibility guidelines.

The suspect is facing a lengthy legal battle, according to criminal law experts who said the case could take two to three years to work its way through the court system.

Daphne Gilbert, a professor of criminal law at the University of Ottawa told MSN news agency that the accused will likely go through extensive psychiatric evaluations to determine whether or not he’s fit to stand trial.


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Flood warning issued to the Divisional Secretariat Divisions of Ganga Ihala Korale, Udapalatha, Doluwa, Udunuwara, Yatinuwara, Gangawata Korale, Harispattuwa, and Pathadumbara

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Due to heavy rainfall received in the upper catchment areas of the Mahaweli River over the past few hours, there is a risk of minor flooding in the low-lying areas surrounding the Mahaweli River within the Divisional Secretariat Divisions of Ganga Ihala Korale, Udapalatha, Doluwa, Udunuwara, Yatinuwara, Gangawata Korale, Harispattuwa, and Pathadumbara.Residents living in the above mentioned areas and motorists using roads passing through these areas are urged to exercise extreme caution and remain highly vigilant regarding the prevailing situation.

Furthermore, residents living in close proximity to the Mahaweli River in these areas are advised to remain highly alert to the situation and take all necessary precautions to protect themselves from any potential flooding.The relevant disaster management authorities are requested to take all necessary measures in response to this situation.

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Landslide Red Alerts issued to the districts of Kandy, Kegalle and Nuwara Eliya

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2026/09/20

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The National Building Research Organisation [NBRO] has  issued landslide Red Alerts to the districts of Kandy,  Kegalle and Nuwara Eliya effective from 14:00 hrs on 20.09.2026 To 14:00 hrs on 21.09.2026

Accordingly,
LEVEL III [RED] Land Slide early warnings have been issued to the Divisional Secretaries Divisions and surrounding areas of Pasbage Korale in the Kandy district,  Dehiowita,  Aranayake,  Deraniyagala,  Mawanella and Yatiyanthota in the Kegalle district and Kothmale West, Kotmale East,  Ambagamuwa and Norwood in the Nuwara Eliya district

LEVEL II [AMBER] Land Slide early warnings have been issued to the Divisional Secretaries Divisions and surrounding areas of Padukka in the Colombo district, Nagoda, Thawalama and Neluwa in the Galle district, Bulathsinhala, Palindanuwara, Walallawita and Agalawatta in the Kalutara district, Ganga Ihala Korale in the Kandy district, Bulathkohupitiya and Kegalle in the Kegalle district,  Akuressa and Pitabeddara in the Matara district, Thalawakele in the Nuwara Eliya district and Pelmadulla, Ratnapura, Ayagama, Kuruwita and Ratnapura in the Ratnapura district.

LEVEL I [YELLOW] Land Slide early warnings have been issued to the Divisional Secretaries Divisions and surrounding areas of Seethawaka in the Colombo district, Niyagama and Baddegama in the Galle district, Mirigama in the Gampaha district, Ingiriya in the Kalutara district, Udapalatha and Yatinuwara in the Kandy district,  Galigamuwa, Warakapola and Ruwanwella in the Kegalle district, Kotapola, Pasgoda and Athuraliya in the Matara district, and  Eheliyagoda, Kalawana and Elapatha in the Ratnapura district.

 

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Development projects can deliver results to the people more quickly when the political authority and the public service work together towards a common goal – PM

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12 hours ago

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2026/09/20

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Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya stated that development projects can deliver results to the people more quickly when the political authority and the public service work together towards a common, people-oriented objective.

The Prime Minister made these remarks while participating in a discussion held on Friday [September 18] at the Western Province Council Auditorium to review the progress of the development project to rehabilitate Rathmalana Kandawala Road and the drainage system on either side of the road, within the Dehiwala–Mount Lavinia Municipal Council limits in the Colombo District.

The project, which commenced on September 10, 2026, is scheduled to be completed before June 30, 2027. Implemented by the Provincial Road Development Authority (PRDA), the project includes the construction of a bridge at a cost of Rs. 64 million, the rehabilitation of the drainage system at a cost of Rs. 930 million, and the rehabilitation of the road at a cost of Rs. 115 million.

The Prime Minister also paid special attention to the progress of the responsibilities assigned to the Western Province Council, the Irrigation Department and the Ratmalana Divisional Secretariat in accordance with decisions taken at the previous committee meeting. Attention was also given to the current status of the plans being carried out by the Sri Lanka Land Development Corporation (SLLRDC), as well as the construction and maintenance activities being undertaken by the Provincial Road Development Authority (PRDA).

Commending the expedite and commendable progress of the project, the Prime Minister particularly appreciated the commitment demonstrated by officials of the relevant government institutions to work in close coordination with one another and in collaboration with the political authority.

The Prime Minister also emphasised the importance of taking measures well in advance to control flooding and minimise its impact on Colombo and several other districts in view of the rainy weather that may affect the Western Province during the latter part of this year.

The meeting was attended by the Chairman of the Colombo District Coordinating Committee and Member of Parliament Lakshman Nipuna Arachchi, Chairperson of the Ratmalana Divisional Coordinating Committee and Member of Parliament Samanmalee Gunasinghe, Chairman of the Roads Sub-Committee of the Colombo District Coordinating Committee Dewananda Suraweera, Mayor of the Dehiwala–Mount Lavinia Municipal Council Parakum Shantha, Chief Secretary of the Western Province K.G. Pradeep Pushpakumara, along with a number of government officials.

[Prime Minister’s Media Division]

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