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Sept 26 (NewsWire) – Former CID Director Shani Abeysekara has made explosive revelations about the 2019 Easter Sunday attacks and the investigation that followed. Speaking at the launch of a book written by journalist Sunanda Deshapriya, Abeysekara detailed how military intelligence allegedly misled the CID during critical stages of the investigation and raised serious concerns about potential financial ties between intelligence agencies and the attackers.
Abeysekara claimed the attacks, which killed over 250 people on April 21, 2019, were part of a well-orchestrated conspiracy rather than an isolated incident. Two significant cases of military intelligence provided false leads during the investigation, he said.
The first case Abeysekara said, was of the bomber who died in a suicide blast in Dehiwela, suggesting the bomber had connections with military intelligence, that were later concealed.
Secondly, Abeysekara addressed the 2018 Vavunathivu murders, prior to the Easter attacks, where military intelligence had allegedly framed the killings as being executed by the LTTE, even planting a military jacket to support their narrative. It was only after the CID arrested a suspect with weapons linked to the murders on April 25, did it become clear that the Zaharan Hashim group, responsible for the Easter attacks, was involved.
Abeysekara also claimed that a top military intelligence official had testified before the Presidential Commission investigating the Easter Sunday attacks, stating that some financial benefits had been provided to the group responsible by a Sri Lankan intelligence agency prior to attacks.
These financial ties need to be thoroughly investigated, Abeysekara stressed.
“On four occasions, the head of military intelligence insisted that the Vavunathivu murders were done by the LTTE,” Abeysekara said, raising questions about the true motive behind these misleading actions.
He went on to question as to why both the CID and former President Maithripala Sirisena were misled about key details of the investigation and criticized the Rajapaksa administration for obstructing the inquiry, after Gotabaya Rajapaksa assumed the presidency.
“Even before he (Gotabaya) appointed a Prime Minister, he transferred me from the investigation” Shani Abeysekara alleged.
Abeysekara expressed hope that the new government, led by the NPP, would prioritize a thorough investigation into these claims. “That is why I supported the NPP,” he said, stating that will be continue to be committed to transparency and accountability despite having never been involved in politics before.
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