Attempt on the life of Gotabaya accused held under PTA acquitted

Sivalingam Aruran, one of the five accused charged with aiding and abetting the LTTE suicide cadre who attempted to assassinate former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa while he was serving as the Defense Secretary on December 1, 2006, has been acquitted and released from the case by the Colombo High Court.

High Court Judge Nawaratne Marasinghe held that the confession obtained from the accused was not taken voluntarily.

In this case, the Attorney General had filed indictments against the five accused of conspiring with the LTTE suicide cadre and assisting him carry out his assassination attempt, which killed two army officers and injured several others; the former Defense Secretary had escaped unhurt. The LTTE cadre had driven an explosive-laden vehicle into the former Defense Secretary's motorcade at Pittala Junction in the Kollupitiya area.