Sri Lanka's Defence Ministry Rejects Allegations On Easter Attacks
Date
9/9/2023 12:20:33 AM
(MENAFN- Colombo Gazette) Sri Lanka's Ministry of Defence has rejected the allegations raised over the Easter Sunday attacks in a documentary published by Cahnnel 4.
The Defence Ministry reiterated that no terrorists involved in the Easter Sunday attacks have ever been on the government payroll.
“In the wake of this catastrophe, the Sri Lankan Government, its Law Enforcement Agencies, Security Forces and international investigation agencies launched exhaustive investigations. Over the years, these investigations, both local and international, have consistently pointed to ISIS-affiliated group members led by Zahran Hashim as the architects of this horrifying tragedy,” the Defence Ministry said in a statement.
The Defence Ministry noted that the Channel 4 documentary audaciously shifts the blame on the Easter Sunday Attack onto Major General Suresh Sallay, the present Director General of the State Intelligence Service of Sri Lanka.
“Major General Suresh Sallay served at the Sri Lanka High Commission in Malaysia as Minister-Counsellor from December 2016 until December 2018. He left for India on 3rd January 2019 and returned to Sri Lanka on 30th November 2019 after completing the National Defence College Course in Delhi. This officer was never in Sri Lanka during the period mentioned in the Channel 4 video documentary. Furthermore, during the said period (December 2016 to November 2019), this officer was not employed in the Intelligence and Security Apparaof the country, nor did he hold any official responsibilities in those fields,” the Ministry of Defence said.
The Ministry of Defence also reiterated that no terrorists involved in the Easter Sunday attack have ever been on the government payroll.
Sri Lanka also noted that a comprehensive investigation conducted by the Australian Federal Police (AFP) and by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in the United States, along with the subsequent verdict rendered by theDepartment of Justice, have reaffirmed the findings of local investigations.
The Ministry of Defence said that Channel 4 will be held unequivocally accountable for any unforeseen actions or repercussions stemming from their“unfounded, malevolent, and poorly substantiated claims” made in the video documentary. (Colombo Gazette)
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