CID obtains 90-day detention for former SIS chief over 2019 Easter attacks

The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) has obtained a 90-day detention order to question former State Intelligence Service chief Major General (Retd) Suresh Sallay over the 2019 Easter Sunday terror attacks that killed at least 269 people.

Sallay, who previously headed the State Intelligence Service (SIS), was arrested by CID officers on the morning of February 25, 2026. The arrest was made under the Prevention of Terrorism (Temporary Provisions) Act (PTA), based on evidence related to the Easter Sunday bombings.

The coordinated suicide bombings took place on April 21, 2019, targeting several locations, including churches across Sri Lanka and luxury hotels in Colombo, the country’s commercial capital. At least 269 people were killed in the attacks. The bombings were carried out by a group of Islamic extremists led by Zahran Hashim.

At the time of the attacks, Sallay, then holding the rank of Brigadier, was serving as an adviser at the Sri Lankan High Commission in Malaysia.

Following the attacks, several investigations were launched, including probes by a Parliamentary Select Committee and a Presidential Commission of Inquiry. Based on their findings, indictments were filed before a permanent three-judge bench of the Colombo High Court Trial-at-Bar against 25 accused individuals, including Naufar Moulavi, over alleged direct links to the terror group. The trial is currently being heard on a daily basis.

Sri Lanka Police also stated that the CID had informed the Colombo Fort Magistrate’s Court on several occasions about a confidential investigation into the Easter Sunday bombings.

Investigations were further expedited following the appointment of the new government, amid continued allegations from various parties that there was a political hand behind the attacks.

Controversy intensified after the British television network Channel 4 aired a documentary titled Sri Lanka’s Easter Bombings: Dispatches. The program alleged that a meeting involving Major General (Retd) Suresh Sallay and members of the Thowheed Jamath organization discussed creating instability in the country to help the Rajapaksa family return to power.

The allegations were linked to claims made by Hanzeer Azad Maulana, a former member of the Tamil Makkal Viduthalai Pulikal (TMVP), a party led by Sivanesathurai Chandrakanthan, also known as Pillayan, who is currently seeking political asylum in Switzerland.

On January 12, 2023, the Supreme Court ruled that then-President of Sri Lanka Maithripala Sirisena and four other officials had violated the fundamental rights of petitioners by failing to act on intelligence that could have prevented the attacks.

The court ordered them to pay compensation to the victims. Sirisena was ordered to pay Rs. 100 million; former IGP Pujith Jayasundara and former SIS Director Nilantha Jayawardena, Rs. 75 million each; former Defence Secretary Hemasiri Fernando, Rs. 50 million; and former National Intelligence Director Sisira Mendis, Rs. 10 million.

Additionally, the Sri Lankan government was ordered to pay Rs. 1 million in compensation.