Bathiudeen’s brother helped Zahran to flee to India: Ex-Army Chief

The Directorate of Military Intelligence (DMI) in 2018 had informed at an Intelligence Review Meeting (IRM) that National Thowheed Jamaat (NTJ) Leader Zahran Hashim had fled to India in a boat and was assisted by former Minister Rishad Bathiudeen's brother, former Army Commander Mahesh Senanayake on Wednesday informed the PCoI probing Easter Sunday attacks.

Testifying before the Commission through video conference, former Army Commander said that he came to know about Zahran when he was serving as the Commander in Jaffna.

“When I was in Jaffna DMI informed me about Zahran Hashim. That was why I'm saying the Military Intelligence had the capacity to find more details regarding to NTJ and its leader. I felt that these IS- minded organisations will pose a threat to country's National Security," he said.

Senanayake added that the country's politics had created problems between the Police and the Army.

He said that senior security heads who served at the previous government, IGP Pujith Jayasundara, CID SDIG Ravi Seneviratne, TID DIG Waruna Jayasundara, Director of SIS Nilantha Jayawardena, and CNI Sisira Mendis did not give the priority for intelligence shared by the DMI.

Senanayake also added former IGP Pujith Jayasundara never had the respect and recognition that former President Maithripala Sirisena had for other officials who attended for the National Security Council (NSC) meetings. (Yoshitha Perera)