PCoI probe on Easter Sunday attacks Fmr. IGP did not understand the gravity of the situation: Ex. SIS Director Nilantha Jayawardena

By Yoshitha Perera   

Former IGP Pujith Jayasundara did not understand the gravity of the situation when former SIS Director Nilantha Jayawardena informed him about the reliable intelligence with regard to April 21, 2019 terror attack which was received on April 20, 2019, the PCoI probing Easter Sunday attacks was informed yesterday.   

Testifying before the Commission, former SIS Director SDIG Nilantha Jayawardena said that he has contacted former IGP to inform about the confirmed information with regard to the attack.   “When I called former IGP he told me to inform the details about the attack to the then DIG Nandana Munasinghe. I tried to contact DIG Munasinghe and DIG Lalith Pathinayake but both of them were not reachable at that moment,” he said.   

SDIG Jayawardena said that he had even sent a letter to the former IGP on April 20, 2019 including the entire network of National Thawheed Jamaath (NTJ) Leader Zahran Hashim and his associates.   

He said that on the letter sent to the IGP, it was mentioned the details about number of persons who assisted Zahran to hide and of the places where he stayed.   

“In the letter, the SIS also mentioned that a person in Akkaraipattu informed them that Zahran was seen travelling on a motorbike with another person on March 29, 2019,” he said.   
Jayawardana added that a total of four reports have been sent to the IGP, on April 9, 18, 19 and 20, 2019 regarding the foreign intelligence information about a possible terrorist attack. SDIG Jayawardena said he hoped to disrupt Zahran’s network by providing those reports.

When I called former IGP he told me to inform the details about the attack to the then DIG Nandana Munasinghe. I tried to contact DIG Munasinghe and DIG Lalith Pathinayake but both of them were not reachable at that moment