Fmr President solely responsible for Easter Sunday carnage: Pujith

Former President Maithripala Sirisena has to take the sole responsibility of the coordinated terror attack that took place on April 21, 2019, and the tragic incident was a well planned attack, former IGP Pujith Jayasundara yesterday informed the PCoI probing Easter Sunday attacks.

Testifying before the Commission Mr. Jayasundara added that after he had received the report about the April 9 intelligence alert from State Intelligence Service (SIS) Director Nilantha Jayawardena, he had forwarded it to SDIG of Western Province Nandana Munasinghe, SDIG Crimes, STF Chief M. R. Latif, DIG Special Protection Range Priyalal Dassanayake and Director of Terrorist Investigation Division (TID) Waruna Jayasundara, and also they had been informed about it over the phone.

Mr. Jayasundara said that he also telephoned all SDIGs in charge of the respective provinces.

Witness claimed that, though he had given specific instructions about the possible terror attack to all the senior police officers, however, during the investigation he found that all his telephone call records were found deleted.

"Former President Sirisena's brother was the head of the Sri Lanka Telecom and Mobitel during this period. The Commission should probe thoroughly to find what had happened to these call records," he said.

Former IGP also claimed that his phone conversations had been tapped by the SIS and also deployed officers near his residence to monitor him.

Witness also said that Abdul Latif Jameel Mohammed, who blasted himself at the Dehiwala Tropical Inn Lodge, had met intelligence officers 45 minutes before he blew himself. (Yoshitha Perera)