Renewed Lanka's Easter Bombing probe puts NTJ's South India radicalisation network back under lens

The arrest of Sri Lanka’s former Intelligence chief, Retired Major-General Suresh Sallay is a turning point in the investigations into the 2019 Easter Sunday bombings that killed 279 people.

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The move was a bold one taken by President Anura Kumara Dissanayake who won the presidency in 2024.

He had promised that all persons involved in the attack would be brought to justice.

Sallay was made State Intelligence Service (SIS) chief in 2019 after Gotabaya Rajapaksa became President.

The allegation against Sallay was that he had permitted the attack to take place with the intention of influencing that year’s presidential election, which was eventually won by Rajapaksa.

Sallay had become a prominent figure in Sri Lanka and was widely credited with dismantling the LTTE. His arrest has led to a political storm and many state that it could revive tensions relating to the LTTE.

Ali Sabry, former Sri Lankan Minister for Foreign Affairs said that the developments are deeply troubling.

An Indian official said that the developments in Sri Lanka are being monitored closely.

On the question whether the LTTE issue would come back into the picture following the arrest of Sallay, the officer said that attempts are being made, but it would be very tough.