Probe into Easter Sunday terror attacks:

* 2015 JVP National List nominee supplied explosives to NTJ bombers – Gammanpila

* ‘President has committed impeachable offence by concealing committee reports’

* We don’t take Gammanpila’s claims seriously – Seneviratne

* Cardinal to make statement today

by Rathindra Kuruwita and
Norman Palihawadane

Secretary to the Ministry of Public Security, retired SDIG Ravi Seneviratne, who served as the SDIG of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) in 2019, had not taken action to prevent the Easter Sunday attacks in April 2019, according to a Presidential Committee chaired by retired Justice A.N.J. de Alwis, Pivithuru Hela Urumaya leader Udaya Gammanpila said yesterday (21).

The Alwis Committee had recommended that criminal charges be filed against Seneviratne, Gammanpila told the media.

The Alwis Committee, appointed by President Ranil Wickremesinghe, was tasked with investigating whether the Police and State Intelligence Services had failed to prevent the Easter Sunday carnage.

“Seneviratne is now overseeing the Department that investigates the Easter Sunday attacks. How can justice be served if the person responsible for dereliction of duty is supervising the investigation?” Gammanpila asked.

The Alwis Committee had further recommended that criminal charges be filed against Shani Abeysekara, who was the CID Director at the time of the Easter Sunday attacks, Gammanpila said, noting that legal or disciplinary action had been recommended against 17 officers.

Gammanipila disclosed that the probe reports indicated that Seneviratne, as the Head of the CID, had received prior information about the Easter Sunday terror attacks. He claimed that the attackers had obtained explosives from businessman, Mohammed Ibrahim, father of two suicide bombers. Ibrahim was a JVP National List nominee in 2015.

Gammanpila warned that if President Anura Kumara Dissanayake did not act immediately, the PHU would move an impeachment motion against him in the next Parliament.  He said the report of the Presidential Committee, appointed by President Ranil Wickremesinghe, with retired Supreme Court Justice S. I. Imam to probe allegations made in a Channel 4 documentary against the military intelligence, would be made public on 28 Oct.

According to the Alwis Committee, Seneviratne had been warned on 9 April 2019 by the then Head of the State Intelligence Service of impending terror attacks on churches, etc., by the National Thowheed Jamath (NTJ), led by Zahran Hashim, said Gammanpila. He revealed that Seneviratne had been overseas from 9 to 16 April 2019 and had appointed DIG B. R. S. R. Nagahamulla to act for him. However, a crucial letter warning of the attacks had not been forwarded to Nagahamulla. “When questioned, the Senior DIG’s Office informed the Commission that Seneviratne had instructed them not to open confidential letters addressed to him in his absence. As a result, the letter lay unopened on Seneviratne’s desk for nearly 12 days,” Gammanpila said.

The report further highlighted that Seneviratne had received 13 intelligence reports between January and April 2019 regarding NTJ activities. He was also responsible for key investigations, including the ones into the destruction of a Buddha statue in Mawanella in 2018, religious tensions in Kattankudy in 2017, the murder of police officers in Vavunathivu in 2018, and the detection of explosives in Wanathawilluwa in 2019.

Despite his extensive involvement in anti-terrorism operations, as the Head of the Terrorism Investigation Unit, and maintaining close contacts with the State Intelligence Service, Seneviratne had failed to take the necessary action to prevent the attacks, Gammanpila said.

“Despite his serious lapses, Seneviratne now serves as the Secretary to the Ministry of Public Security, overseeing fresh investigations into the very terror attacks he failed to prevent,” Gammanpila said, calling on President Dissanayake to remove Seneviratne from his post immediately and issue a public apology for concealing the two reports from the public.

Ex-DIG Seneviratne, contacted for comment said: “Anyone can say anything. We are not concerned about what Gammanpila says. Let the people decide. We are not disturbed by these allegations.”

Meanwhile, Colombo Archbishop Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith said that he would give a press conference on Tuesday (22) at Bishop House in Colombo to convey the Church’s standpoint over statements made by Gammanpila yesterday.

Addressing a Sunday Service, Cardinal Ranjith said attempts were being made to mislead the public regarding the investigations into the 2019 Easter Sunday Attacks.

The Cardinal said a new group, including former government officials and Parliamentarians, was now working to create confusion regarding the probe. “Of the two reports, one contains the same recommendations as Presidential Commission of Inquiry into the Easter attacks, the only difference being that the new report has recommended legal action against two senior officials of the new incumbent government. It is evident that the former government has given the instruction related to the recommendation.”