Inspector-General of Police C.D Wickramaratneissued a detailed statement clarifying the investigations carried so far concerning the Easter Sunday attack in 2019.
The events that led to the Easter Sunday attack in 2019 suggest that it was hatched meticulously by a group involved in terrorism, the Inspector General of Police said.
He said the previous events although, considered isolated they were very much linked to each other.
However, the IGP said that lack of coordination among the investigating arms failed to identify the link between the events.
At that stage, the detectives were not clever enough to conclude that the events would culminate in a massive attack. The CID did not delve deep into the incidents and failed to unearth the facts behind the attack. They assumed that most of the attackers were either dead or had been arrested. They were in pretty haste to conclude the investigations.
The Inspector-General of Police said that the detectives concluded that the attackers had acted of their own accord to bring to the notice the presence of ISIS in Sri Lanka.
The previous investigators assumed Zaharanwas the leader that carried out the attacks and that his network was either destroyed or arrested,’ said the IGP.
He said, after the new regime assumed office he was given the necessary authority to take investigations under his fold.
The newly appointed detectives investigated the telephone records dating back to the 29th of June 2014, as against that of four months done by the previous investigators.
The IGP said that after fresh investigations were initiated, a large number of people were grilled.723 suspects were arrested and 311 of them continue to be in remand custody or under detention and many more aspects of the investigations were accomplished.
The IGP said 46 accused have been indicted by the Attorney General and over a hundred investigation files were completed. A team of officials from the AG’s department are studying and contemplating filing indictments against them
.The IGP said 104 volumes of investigative material were directed to the AGs Department and these volumes comprise 52,000 pages.
He also said the Catholics who follow the path of Lord Jesus Christ is in a quandary now since Lord Jesus Christ preached “if anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also”, but as an officer assigned with the task of implementing the law we would go ahead do the needful and bring the suspects to book in the dispensation of justice. As the IGP I must best assure the people that no external force has any influence on the investigations and that I would leave no room for such instances. Therefore I believe that giving circulation to fake assumptions and half-baked stories, would not help to achieve the desired purpose. Though we respect the individual’s right to express themselves freely, nobody should engage in any activity to undermine the investigations.
If somebody can come up with fresh evidence we welcome them to assist the Police in that connection but it should be borne in mind that unfounded allegations in this respect would prompt some sort of litigation he warned.
