CID names Suresh Sallay third suspect in Easter Sunday attacks

The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) today (March 05) took steps to name former head of the State Intelligence Service, Major General (Retd) Suresh Sallay, who is currently in detention, as the third suspect in a case being heard before the Fort Magistrate’s Court in connection with the Easter Sunday attacks.

Former head of the State Intelligence Service, retired Major General Suresh Sallay, was arrested in Peliyagoda on February 25, 2026, on charges of aiding and abetting the 2019 Easter Sunday terror attacks that killed at least 269 people.

Following his arrest, the CID obtained permission from the Minister of Defence to detain and question Sallay for a period of 90 days under the provisions of the Prevention of Terrorism (Temporary Provisions) Act (PTA).

Against this backdrop, Sallay’s lawyers yesterday (March 04) filed a motion before the Fort Magistrate’s Court requesting certified copies of the relevant case documents. They stated that these were needed to challenge in a higher court the order to arrest and detain their client, claiming he had been taken into custody without sufficient evidence.

The lawyers also requested an additional day to meet their client and asked that he be allowed to receive food brought from home.

While the Magistrate ordered that certified copies of the relevant legal documents be issued, the other requests were rejected. The Magistrate stated that the CID had not yet reported the facts to the court regarding Sallay’s arrest and detention.

In this context, the CID today reported to the Fort Magistrate’s Court regarding Sallay’s detention.

The CID informed the court that retired Major General Suresh Sallay, the former head of the State Intelligence Service, is being named as the third suspect in case number 35882/24 currently before the Fort Magistrate’s Court. The case relates to investigations into misleading probes concerning the killing of two police officers in Vavunathivu and the explosions that occurred at a house in Sainthamaruthu.

CID officers also requested the Magistrate to visit the department on a date deemed appropriate by the court in order to observe the suspect, who is currently being questioned in CID custody.

After recording the submissions made before the court, the Magistrate informed the CID that he would visit the department in the near future to observe the suspect.