By Nirmala Kannangara/Daily Mirror
Colombo, September 19 – When the prison guards at the Batticaloa Prison, who were on duty on April 21, 2019, panicked after a bomb exploded in close proximity to the prison assuming that terrorism raised its ugly head, Sivanesathurai Chandrakanthan alias Pillayan, who was an inmate in prison at that time, had assured them that it was not a terrorist attack, but a suicide attack, Daily Mirror sources reveal. The explosion referred to is the suicide bombing at Zion church in Batticaloa.
Official sources on condition of strict anonymity told this newspaper how it was revealed during the course of the Easter attack investigations that Pillayan who was on detention over the murder of former MP Joseph Pararajasingham had a celebration with his fellow inmates soon after the suicide bombing at the Zion church Batticaloa.
Pillayan is now under police detention for the abduction and murder of Vice Chancellor of the Eastern University Prof. Sivasubramaniam Raveendranath in 2006.
As per official data, 274 people including 70 foreigners died on the Easter Sunday attacks whilst 592 received severe injuries; most of the injured are confined to beds or wheelchairs even six years after the incident.
According to the revelation, although prison guards were of the view it was a terrorist attack, Pillayan has categorically have told the inmates that it was not a bomb blast, but a suicide attack.
As per these revelations by police sources, the law enforcement authorities believe that Pillayan was well aware of the attacks and based on these exposes, requests have been made to the investigators to question how he knew about the suicide attacks beforehand.
“Though prison officers were of the view that it was a terrorist attack, Pillayan who knew what their secret ‘plan’ was, had told the inmates that it was a suicide attack,” sources said.
Following this astonishing information, it has also come to light how the State Intelligence Service (SIS) failed to act on the list of names; the individuals in the list have checked in to Hotel Taj Samudra on April 20, 2019.
This newspaper is in possession of copies of the documents Taj Samudra has submitted to the Presidential Commission of Inquiry into the Easter Sunday attack. Those documents include the name of Abdul Lathif Jameel Mohommed alias Jameel together with the other guests who checked- in the day prior to the attack.
Although there was a longstanding directive (which is still in force) by the SIS to all hotels from the time the country was waging war against the LTTE, to submit to the former, the names of those who check in, questions have been raised why the other three hotels that came under suicide attack did not send their lists containing guests’ names.
It was on April 20, 2019, the suicide bombers checked- in to the respective hotels. The investigators say that if the names of those who checked-in the day before the attack, were sent to the SIS they should have taken action. Although this is the procedure the hotels have to follow, but although the name list of Taj Samudra was sent to SIS, they did not taken action.
Meanwhile, according to police sources, the then SSP Mahil Dole had once told that he had given instructions to the Directorate of Military Intelligence (DMI) to keep vigil on these extremists.
As per the Presidential Commission of Inquiry report, former Director DMI Brig. Chula Kodituwakku had told the Commission that the group behind the Easter attack is said to have been funded by state intelligence agencies and that he had assigned one of his surveillance agents to National Thowfeek Jamat (NTJ) in order to observe their movements.
It is in this backdrop that questions have been raised why the SIS failed to take action against Jameel when his name together with the other guests were sent to them by Hotel Taj Samudra because Jameel’s name was in the list of the IS extremist group.
“The Counter Terrorism and Investigation Division (TID) knew that the police were on the lookout for a group of Muslim extremists who was obsessed with the IS ideology. The then IGP Pujith Jayasundara had directed the then Director TID, SSP Waruna Jayasundara to carry out an investigation and send him a report on Jameel to unearth whether he is an extremist obsessed with IS ideology. In response to the IGP’s directives, Director TID by letter dated April 8, 2019, had informed IGP Jayasundara that there is no evidence that Jameel was involved in any extremist activity,” sources from the TID said on strict conditions of anonymity.
A copy of SSP Waruna Jayasundara’s response to the IGP request dated April 8, 2019 is in possession of this newspaper.
In his response, SSP Jayasundara (Ref: D/CTID/Out/5745/19) to the IGP states, ‘Regarding Abdul Lathif Jameel Mohommed, who is obsessed with IS ideology.
‘As per your directives, the TID visited Abdul Lathif Jameel Mohommed’s given address at No: 125/ 23, Lansiyawatte, Wellampitiya to find out whether he is involved in any extremist activity.
‘Abdul Lathif Jameel Mohommed lives at the above address with his wife and children. As per the information obtained, he was not involved in any illegal activity in the area nor has the TID received any information that he is an extremist obsessed with IS ideology. Further there is no evidence that he used social media to promote IS ideology’.
Message sent on Easter Sunday
“Like how the CID could have prevented Zaharan from carrying out the attacks had the SIS did not mislead them in December 2018 and January 2019, the April 21, 2019, carnage too could have easily prevented had the SIS took immediate steps to check on Jameel when they got the name list from Hotel Taj Samudra on April 20, 2019” sources said.
Meanwhile, Taj Samudra sources said how one of their security officers sent a message to the SIS on the Easter Sunday, after the bombs went off in three hotels in Colombo. Through that message it was conveyed that there was a suspicious looking person with a backpack, seated at their lobby and was behaving unusually and for them to check on him immediately.
The hotel officials had stated this to the Special Presidential Commission.
“There again the SIS failed to visit the hotel. According to the CCTV footages, this suspect received a call to his mobile phone soon after we informed about him to the SIS and Jameel was seen answering the call and left the hotel soon afterwards. Later in the afternoon, he had detonated the bomb and died at the Tropical Inn Hotel, Dehiwela. Had the SIS sent their officials to the hotel after our message, they would have not only prevented the Dehiwela attack, but would have managed to obtain more information regarding this attack,” the hotel sources who wished to remain anonymous said.
Meanwhile, the National Police Commission on July 18 (Friday), 2025 terminated SDIG Nilantha Jayawardena’s service for his failure to inform the relevant officials about the information he had received on April 3rd, 20th and on the 21st morning regarding the attacks.
As per the official statistics, 274 died due to the Easter Sunday attacks. As many as 70 were foreigners. Fifty seven have died and 147 were injured at St. Anthony’s Church Kotahena, while 115 died and 302 were injured at St. Sebastian’s Church Katuwapitiya. Both attacks have taken place simultaneously at 8.45am. Nine people died while eight foreigners suffered injuries during the Kingsburry attack.
In the Shangri-la attack 33 people died while 22 foreigners were injured. In the Cinnamon Grand attack, 21 while 20 were injured. These three attacks has taken place between 8.47am and 9.12am. Thirty one people died at the Zion Church Batticaloa while the injured total was 67.
Two died as a result of the Tropical Inn blast and six people including three police personnel succumbed due to the blast at the Mahawila Garden blast at Dematagoda.
Following this, an investigation committee was appointed by President Maithripala Sirisena which was headed by Justice Vijith Malalgoda. Two other members- former IGP N.K. Illangakoon and former Secretary Ministry of Public Security Padmasiri Jayamanna to find the perpetrators involved in these attacks. Although this report was handed over to Sirisena, its findings were not released.
Later in June, 2019, a Special Presidential Investigation Commission was appointed by the then President Sirisena. This commission had the powers to take legal action against those were involved in this attack. The Commission was headed by Justice Janak de Silva and the members were Rtd. Justice Nissanka Bandula Karunaratne, Rtd. Justice Nihal Sunil Rajapaksa Rtd. Judge Bandula Kumara Atapattu and W.M.M.R. Adikari. The report that consisted 67, 738 pages was handed over to President Rajapaksa on January 31, 2021. However, the last chapter, in which the Commission has recommended whom action must be taken against was not released.
Following this, the affirmative disclosures made by whistleblower Azath Maulana – the former Coordinating Secretary to Pillayan- at the Human Rights Council (HRC) in Geneva and to the UK based Channel 4, alleging Pillayan was instrumental in laying the ‘foundation’ to the barbaric suicide attack, prompted President Wickremasinghe to appoint two inquiring committees to look into the authenticity of Maulana’s revelations.
These committees were headed by Rtd. Justice S.I. Imam and Rtd. High Court Judge Jayaki de Alwis.
“The Catholic Church has vehemently refused to accept either of these two reports other than the revealing made by the Special Presidential Investigation Commission that spent more than 18 months to record statements from all parties. However the two Inquiring committees, Imam and Jayaki de Alwis, conducted the inquiry within a few days, but has deliberately failed to consider the evidence given by former SDIG and Director CID, Ravi Seneviratne and Shani Abeysekara respectively. Giving evidence at the Alwis Committee, both Seneviratne and Abeysekara have clearly stated how the DMI misled their investigation into the Vavunathivu double murder and how a jacket was introduced to the scene three days after the murder to implicate that it was carried out by the ex-LTTE. Giving evidence, both Seneviratne and Abeysekara have stated how the DMI sent four misleading reports on December 5, 8, 14of 2018 and January 3, 2019 to distract the investigations. Surprisingly the Alwis Committee has stated that these evidences cannot be considered as misleading information. It was also brought to their notice how a DMI operative had informed the Batticaloa Police soon after the murder, that the two PCs were not killed by the ex-LTTE carders, but by Zaharan’s group. Considering these facts how can we accept these reports as accurate? President Wickremasinghe was prompted to appoint these committees after Rtd. SDIG Ravi Seneviratne was seen at an election rally in Maharagama on June 9, 2024 where the latter revealed how Gotabaya Rajapaksa transferred more than 700 Easter Sunday attack investigation officers from the CID and appointed their ‘favourites’ to conceal evidences and findings.
Meanwhile, police sources revealed how it had now come to be known that Pulasthini Mahendran alias Sarah Jasmine, wife of Zaharan, who is an important person to obtain evidence on the Easter attack is still alive and in India. This is despite the former investigators tried to impede the truth and informed courts that Sarah Jasmine has died at Sainthamaruthu on April 26, 2019 at a suicide attack
“Earlier two DNA samples obtained from Sarah Jasmine’s relatives did not match with the sample obtained from the dead body said to be of Sarah Jasmine. Later they said that her mother Rajaratnam Kaveeda’s DNA matches with Sarah Jasmine’s. We know that they tried to convince people that Sarah Jasmine had died at Sainthamaruthu on April 26, 2019, by matching the DNA with her mother’s. They tried to imply that she was dead. We have received information that she has fled to India after the Easter attack,” sources said.
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