By: Isuru Parakrama
September 26, Colombo (LNW): Former Director of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID), Shani Abeysekara, has made startling claims regarding the 2019 Easter Sunday attacks and the subsequent inquiry.
Speaking at the launch of a book by senior journalist Sunanda Deshapriya, Abeysekara provided alarming insights into how military intelligence allegedly obstructed and misled the CID during critical stages of the investigation, and suggested potential financial links between intelligence agencies and the attackers.
In his speech, Abeysekara asserted that the Easter attacks, which resulted in the deaths of over 270 people on 21 April 2019, were part of a deliberate conspiracy rather than an isolated event.
He cited two instances where military intelligence had allegedly provided false leads, severely hampering the investigation.
The first case involved a bomber who died in a suicide attack in Dehiwela. Abeysekara suggested that this individual had ties to military intelligence, which were later deliberately concealed to protect those involved.
The second example related to the 2018 murders in Vavunathivu. Military intelligence falsely attributed the murders to the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), even going so far as to plant evidence, including a military jacket, to support this narrative, According to Abeysekara.
It was only after the CID apprehended a suspect on 25 April 2019, in possession of weapons linked to the murders, that the connection to Zaharan Hashim’s group – responsible for the Easter attacks – was uncovered.
Abeysekara went on to reveal that a senior military intelligence officer had testified before the Presidential Commission investigating the attacks, admitting that a Sri Lankan intelligence agency had financially supported the group behind the bombings prior to the events of Easter Sunday.
He stressed the importance of investigating these financial ties, which remain a significant concern.
He further accused the head of military intelligence of insisting, on multiple occasions, that the Vavunathivu murders were the work of the LTTE, raising serious questions about the motivation behind these misleading claims.
Abeysekara also questioned why both the CID and former President Maithripala Sirisena were kept in the dark about key aspects of the investigation.
Criticism was also levelled at the Rajapaksa administration. Abeysekara claimed that soon after Gotabaya Rajapaksa assumed the presidency, he was removed from the investigation, even before the appointment of a Prime Minister.
He suggested that this was part of a broader effort to obstruct the inquiry.
Expressing his hopes for the future, Abeysekara voiced confidence that the newly elected government, led by the National People’s Power (NPP), would prioritise a thorough investigation into the events surrounding the Easter attacks.
“That is why I supported the NPP,” he said, emphasising his commitment to transparency and accountability, despite having no previous involvement in politics.
