In a shocking disclosure about one of Sri Lanka’s deadliest terror attacks, the country’s Public Security Minister has said that former intelligence chief Major General Suresh Sallay was a key conspirator in the Easter Sunday bombings of 2019 that killed 279 people and injured more than 500 others.
The accusation marks the first time a senior state official has been publicly linked by the government to the devastating attack that shocked the island nation.
The Easter Sunday bombings took place on April 21, 2019, when a series of coordinated suicide attacks targeted three churches packed with worshippers celebrating Easter and three luxury hotels in Colombo. The attacks shocked the island nation and drew international condemnation. Among the dead were dozens of foreign nationals, while hundreds more suffered serious injuries.
The allegations levelled at Major General Suresh Sallay come months after Sri Lankan investigators arrested Sallay in connection with the attacks. Authorities have accused the retired military officer of conspiracy and aiding and abetting the bombings, making him the highest-profile figure to be detained in the long-running investigation. Sallay has consistently denied any wrongdoing.
Questions about possible state involvement in the attacks have persisted for years. In 2023, a documentary by Britain’s Channel 4 aired claims from a whistleblower who alleged that intelligence officials had links to the attackers and allowed the bombings to proceed in order to influence the 2019 presidential election. The allegations were strongly denied by those accused, but they led to demands from victims’ families and the Catholic Church for a deeper investigation.
President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, elected in 2024, pledged to uncover the truth behind the bombings and prosecute those responsible. His administration has reopened investigations and backed efforts to identify not only the suicide bombers but also the masterminds behind the attacks.
The renewed probe has reignited a painful chapter in Sri Lanka’s history. For the families of the victims, the latest accusations raise hopes that long-awaited answers may finally emerge. However, the allegations also threaten to deepen political divisions, as supporters of former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and opposition figures have dismissed the investigation as politically motivated.
As court proceedings and investigations continue, Sri Lanka faces mounting pressure to establish the full truth behind the Easter Sunday tragedy and deliver justice to the hundreds of families whose lives were forever altered by the attacks.
