By Rathindra Kuruwita

National Thowheed Jamaat (NTJ) leader Zahran Hashim and his associates had initially planned to carry out a suicide attack in 2020, former SDIG of the CID, Ravi Seneviratne on Friday night told the PCoI investigating the Easter Sunday attacks.

Seneviratne said that while they were aware of Zahran’s ideology, it was during the CID investigations into the Jihadist Training Camp at Wanathawilluwa that they had found his direct involvement with extremists.

Seneviratne had earlier said that they presented former IGP Pujith Jayasundara with a report on the Jihadist training camp and information elicited from the suspects arrested at the camp on January 26, 2019. However, as the IGP was banned from attending the National Security Council (NSC), the report could not be sent there.

The AG’s Department representative leading the evidence asked the witness if he had also received a letter in early April 2019, sent by former Director of the State Intelligence Service (SIS) SDIG Nilantha Jayawardena about a possible terrorist attack.

“Jayawardena sent it to the former IGP on April 09, 2019 about the attacks. On April 16, 2019, I got a copy of the letter from Jayasundara. I was out of the country on an official visit and I only came to office on April 16. We were to arrest those who were mentioned in the letter. So I forwarded the letter to Director of the CID, Shani Abeysekera and ASP Wickramasekera. But Shani had only seen the letter on April 23, 2019, after the attack.”

The AG’s Department representative then asked the witness if he had received a text message from the former SIS Director on the morning of April 21 warning that an attack would take place on that day. The former SDIG said had seen that text after the bomb explosions.

The AG’s Department official said: “After the attacks, MP Harin Fernando told the media that his father had asked him not to go to Church on April 21. From what was revealed at the PCoI, police sergeant Nandalal, who was involved in CID investigations into the Mawanella Buddha statue vandalisation and the Wanathawilluwa Jihadist camp, had called Harin’s father on April 20 night. It is likely that Nandalal warned him of the attacks. How would CID officials know about such an attack on April 20?”

Seneviratne said that although he was not aware how Nandalal had received information about the attacks, Nilantha Jayawardena, on April 20, had informed him that a terror attack would take place on April 21. “I shared that information with Shani and ASP Wickramesekera,” the witness said.

Seneviratne also told the PCoI about NTJ preparations for the attacks. The witness said that Zahran and his associates were planning to carry out an attack from 2017. Unhappy about the progress they had made in 2018, Zahran had asked Shaheed Abdul-Haq, who was behind vandalizing Buddha statues in Mawanella, to attack the statues.

Seneviratne said: “Zahran also asked those who were with him, if they wanted to become fighters or suicide bombers. While Zahran was away, NTJ members decided to carry out suicide attacks outside Sri Lanka. However Zahran then motivated them to carry out attacks here. They decided that the attacks should take place in 2020. However, by the first week of April 2019, Zahran decided to launch the attack as soon as possible. Although there were initial disagreements, NTJ members agreed by April 09 and by April 17, they decided to launch the attacks on Easter Sunday, which fell on April 21. Looking at these revelations I felt that Zahran was being handled by someone else. I wanted to find out who this was before I retired.”

At his point the AG’s Department official wrote a name on a piece of paper and showed it to Seneviratne . “Could this be the person?” he asked the witness.

“Yes, it is possible. The name you showed me had worked with Zahran,” Seneviratne said.

The former SDIG overseeing the CID also revealed that NTJ had arranged for a hiding place where those who failed to carry out the suicide attack could gather. “This was a place of worship in Colombo. The person who failed to carry out the attack should get there and tell another person that he was there. Then a person would come to pick up the unsuccessful attacker and take him to a safe house.”

Seneviratne also wrote the name of the person who was to transport the unsuccessful attackers into a safe house. The witness said that person had been arrested.

“We must find out those who handled Zahran. Until they are revealed, the threat to national security will always be there,” he said.

Members of the PCoI also asked Seneviratne if the NTJ had received financial aid from an Islamic State. The witness said that the CID had not been able to find such a link. “We found about 42 bank accounts belonging to this group. They all belong to Sri Lankans and the money had been provided by the Ibrahim brothers (Mohamed Ibrahim Insaf Ahmed who carried out the suicide bombing at Cinnamon Grand Hotel in Colombo and Mohamed Ibrahim Ilham Ahmed who carried out the suicide bombing at Shangri- La hotel in Colombo).”