PCoI probing Easter Sunday Attacks Lull in information sharing by CID, TID hampered probe - Witness

By Yoshitha Perera 

There were issues related to sharing of information between the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) and Terrorism Investigation Division (TID) during the time of the previous administration that led to several interruptions to the investigations on extremist activities, IP attached to the TID Gayan Ratnayaka yesterday informed the PCoI probing the Easter Sunday attacks.   

In 2018, Ratnayake was serving at the TID Unit on Religious Extremism and Fundamentalism and the TID had conducted investigation on Zahran’s extremist preaching and practices. He said on February 28, 2019, he went to Zahran’s wife’s house in Kekunagolla with a group of TID officials.   

“We questioned Zahran’s mother-in-law Sitthi Shahila and Zahran’s wife’s brother, Mohammed Anzar. During the inquiry Shahila told us that Zahran hadn’t visit his family for two years, but Anzar said that Zahran had paid a visit about a month and a half ago,” Ratnayaka said.   

He said during the inquiry, Anzar received a call from the CID. “The caller identified himself as SI Dias and told me that Anzar was being used as a private informant of the CID. He also said that Anzar was sent home to complete a task, and if TID had continue the investigation, it would hamper the CID’s probing,” he said.   

Ratnayaka also said that SI Dias had asked the TID team to leave Zahran’s wife’s house without causing interruption to the probe.   

IP Ratnayaka further added that the TID had requested the investigations report on Zahran compiled by the CID, which did not say anything whatsoever regarding Anzar being used as CID’s private informant.   

The witness also said a written request had been made to the then Director of the TID on March 6, 2019 requesting permission to summon Anzar to the TID to question him, but Anzar was never questioned until the Easter Sunday suicide attack took place.