Fmr STF Chief retracts statement on unawareness of Zahran and NTJ prior to attack

By Yoshitha Perera   

The Former Commandant of the Police Special Task Force (STF) SDIG M.R. Latiff who earlier informed that he came to know about Zahran and National Thawheed Jamaat (NTJ) after the Easter Sunday terror attacks, yesterday conceded that he knew about Zahran and NTJ even before the attack. 

 
Responding to a question raised by a Commissioner, former SDIG Latiff said that the STF intelligence units were not established to probe intelligence information regarding National Security.   

“The task of the STF intelligence unit is to check on how to create an operation regarding intelligence information they receive, and how the operation should be enacted,” he said.   

He made the above statement while responding to a question on why the intelligence unit of the STF in Kattankudy had failed to find information regarding Zahran before the coordinated terror attack.   

The Commissioners also questioned the witness whether the STF intelligence officers had not shared any intelligence regarding Zahran and the NTJ.   

The Witness said that no intelligence had been recorded on those points.   

However, the Commissioners drew former SDIG Latiff’s attention to a STF intelligence report which had been shared with the STF Commanding Officer at the Kalawanchikudy STF camp on March 24, 2018 which referred to Zahran and the NTJ. The witness had recognised the above report and the Commissioners had showed more intelligence reports regarding Zahran which had been shared within the STF.   
Commissioners then questioned the witness on the reason for the non submission of documents pertaining to religious extremism available with the STF, to the Commission. In response the witness said that the said documents were at the STF headquarters.   

The Commissioner also questioned the witness regarding the transfer of five intelligence officers who were attached to the STF camp at Arugambay during February 2017 and October 2018. When asked what reason resulted in such a transfer, the witness said that he could not comment on it without consulting the relevant documents.   

However, considering the evidence given by SDIG Latiff, the Commissioners ordered the witness according to Section 16 of the Commission’s Act to present legal representation to the Commission on the next hearing date.