-By the Research Division of the Center for Peace Studies
(Lanka-e-News -16.April.2025, 10.35 PM) Although six years have passed since the brutal Easter Sunday bombings, many aspects still require investigation to ensure justice. A brief report prepared by the Research Division of the Center for Peace Studies and submitted to the Secretary of the Ministry of Public Security, Ravi Seneviratne, outlines numerous critical areas needing further inquiry in ongoing investigations.
According to their analysis, there are at least five major issues that urgently require deeper investigation:
Details related to Abdul Latheef Mohamed Jameel, who died in the bombing at the Tropical Inn in Dehiwala.
Details about Abu Hind, who was linked to Zaharan.
Information related to Pulastini Mahendran, also known as Sara Jasmine—suspected to have fled during the Sainthamaruthu explosion—and the incident itself.
Statements made by Hanzeer Asath Maulavi, who revealed information via Channel 4 while abroad.
The failure to act on prior warnings before the attack.
Abdul Latheef Mohamed Jameel, who attempted to detonate a bomb at the Taj Samudra Hotel and later died in an explosion at the Tropical Inn in Dehiwala, is connected to several suspicious elements:
It was revealed during the Presidential Commission of Inquiry that intelligence agencies had been tracking Jameel since 2015. He had been under scrutiny by state intelligence services, the Directorate of Military Intelligence, and the Terrorism Investigation Division (TID). Despite this, these agencies failed to either act on forewarnings or prevent the attack. This indicates the need for deeper investigation into what each agency knew about Jameel and why preventive measures failed.
The Taj Samudra Hotel's security manager testified that every morning, between 7–8 AM, a list of people who had checked in by midnight the previous day would be sent to the state intelligence service and the Presidential Security Division. Jameel had checked into the hotel on the evening of April 20, 2019. If he was already on intelligence watchlists, why was no action taken the following morning when his name should have appeared on the list?
Hotel protocol required that the national ID number of every guest be recorded in the system. Yet, Jameel’s ID number was missing. Investigations need to determine whether this was an oversight, deliberate omission, or an erasure after entry—and who was responsible.
It was revealed that a suspicious individual had visited the hotel on April 17, 2019—before Jameel’s arrival. He was later identified as "Infaz." It must be investigated whether other suspicious individuals also visited before or after the attack.
Jameel booked a room around 4:17 PM on April 20 and left the hotel shortly after. He returned the next morning and asked for a new key card, claiming the previous one was no longer working. It remains unclear what happened to the original card and whether that aspect was ever investigated.
CCTV footage shows Jameel received phone calls between 8:51 and 8:54 AM on April 21—moments before he left the hotel. The caller has yet to be identified. Investigations must uncover who made that call.
Jameel reportedly sent a voice message to his wife Fatima Shifana Umar on April 20, around 8:30 AM, saying he was undertaking “Hijrah” (migration for religious reasons). That message contains the background voices of children. Investigations must identify these children and determine when and where the message was recorded.
According to Shifana, the phone number that sent the voice message was later deleted. It wasn’t Jameel’s usual number. Was the message sent by Jameel himself or by someone else using a pre-recorded message? The number used must be identified.
.On April 21, 2019, officers from the Counter-Terrorism Investigation Division (CTID) examined CCTV footage related to the moment Jameel left his house on April 19, 2019. The Digital Video Recorder (DVR) device containing this footage was taken by officers of the Counter-Terrorism Division. At the time of removal, the DVR had recorded footage from March 31, 2019, until the evening of April 21, 2019. However, it was revealed before the Presidential Commission that the portion of video footage from 8:00 a.m. on April 19, 2019, to 2:30 p.m. on April 21, 2019, was missing from the DVR device.
The officers told the Commission that the footage may have been erased during the process of handling the DVR for investigations. Initially, the footage was present, but later, only the portion from the time Jameel left his residence until the DVR was removed by the TID officers was missing. Therefore, an investigation should be conducted into how exactly this particular segment of CCTV footage was erased. Additionally, efforts should be made to recover the erased footage, and based on that, an inquiry should be conducted into the residents of Jameel's house as well as individuals who visited the house during that time period
11. On April 21, 2019, while Jameel was in the mosque, the mosque's Maulavi observed a mobile phone in his possession. However, when he was later searched outside the mosque by a private security officer named Ameer, he was found not to have any mobile phone on him. Therefore, it must be investigated why the mobile phone observed inside the mosque was not found when he exited and whether he handed it over to someone. If so, who received it?
12. It must also be investigated whether the mobile phone Jameel possessed at the Taj Samudra Hotel and the one seen with him in the mosque were the same device.
13. It was revealed before the Presidential Commission that Jameel stated he was staying in the mosque until another person arrived. A proper investigation should be conducted to determine who that individual was that Jameel was waiting for.
14. Shortly after the Easter Sunday bombings on April 21, 2019, the Director of Military Intelligence deployed a group of military intelligence officers to Jameel’s house, as revealed before the Presidential Commission. It was further revealed that these officers had informed the private security officer who searched Jameel near the mosque, via phone call, to come near the Havlock Buddha statue. However, as the officer went there and the military team did not show up, suspicion arose that they might have attempted to harm him, prompting him to immediately report the matter to the Wellawatte Police. Since no investigation has been carried out on this matter, one should be initiated.
15. There are recorded video clips allegedly showing Jameel, Saharan, and others on April 20, 2019, carrying firearms including a T-56 assault rifle. It should be investigated what happened to that weapon — where it was taken and who was responsible for its removal.
16. The aforementioned video footage was later discovered in the Kalmunai area and handed over to the Terrorism Investigation Division (TID) by officers of the Akkaraipattu Police. When asked who transported these recordings to that location, TID officers informed the Presidential Commission that they suspected the Batticaloa bomber might have done so. However, the investigation into the Batticaloa bomber has not confirmed this. Therefore, it must be investigated who actually transported the device containing these recordings to that area. Additionally, the banner visible in the background of the videos was discovered in Kalmunai on April 26, 2019, and it must also be investigated who brought that banner there.
17. It was revealed before the Presidential Commission that while Suresh Saleh served as the Director of Military Intelligence, an intelligence agent was deployed to infiltrate the JMI (Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen India) organization, of which Jameel and three other suicide bombers were members. That agent, with support from a foreign intelligence agency, was allegedly provided with a house by the Directorate of Military Intelligence to facilitate his participation in JMI discussions. Investigations have also revealed that some of those discussions were recorded. To date, no proper investigation has been conducted into the content of those discussions or into the failure of the agent to expose and disrupt JMI’s plots. A thorough investigation must be conducted.
18. It was revealed before the Presidential Commission that in December 2018, the Directorate of Military Intelligence informed the Army Commander and the Security Council that Saharan had traveled to India. It must be investigated whether Saharan indeed traveled to India or whether this narrative was fabricated to obscure his activities in Sri Lanka during that month, including possible meetings and plans. If he did travel to India, it must be investigated where he went and whom he met.
19. Fatima Jifriya, the wife of JMI member Mohammad Ilham (a fellow JMI member alongside Jameel), died along with her three children and three officers of the Colombo Crimes Division in what was claimed to be a suicide blast at the Mahawila Gardens. During the Presidential Commission inquiry, it was mentioned that a person fled from that house before the explosion. A proper investigation must be conducted to determine whether someone did in fact escape, who that person was, and what their role was in that house.
20. Fatima Jifriya’s mobile phone was later recovered from a different house by an investigation team. Investigations must be carried out based on the data contained in that phone.
21. Jameel began influencing Ilham in 2014, and it was revealed before the Easter Commission that Ilham’s behavior changed after coming under Jameel’s influence. As a result, Ilham’s father, Ibrahim (a businessman), prohibited Jameel from visiting their house. It was also revealed that Jameel, Ilham, and others attended the Sri Lanka Thowheed Jamath (SLTJ) mosque in Maradana during this period. The bomber at the Katuwapitiya church, Hastun, and his wife Pulastini Mahendran also had ties to the SLTJ mosque. It was further revealed that SLTJ leader Abdul Rasik held discussions with military intelligence officers at the office of Senior DIG Anura Senanayake before the 2015 Good Governance Government came to power, and also with officials at the Ministry of Defence. These facts were confirmed by DIG Palitha Siriwardena in a public discussion. Although there should have been a comprehensive investigation into the relationship between the SLTJ and the Easter Sunday attacks from as far back as 2013, no such investigation has been conducted so far. Therefore, a formal investigation must be carried out in this regard.
The Director of National Intelligence, Nilantha Jayawardena, stated before the Presidential Commission that Abu Hind could have helped prevent the Easter Sunday attack. It was revealed during the Commission's hearings that Abu Hind had also communicated with Rilwan and Naufer Maulavi, in addition to Zahran.
During Ranil Wickremesinghe's presidency, it was stated in Parliament by members of the then-ruling party that “Abu Hind” was merely a pseudonym used by a foreign intelligence service to obtain information. However, revelations at the Presidential Commission indicate that Abu Hind was either a key participant or a witness to the attacks. To this day, his real identity remains unknown. Therefore, an investigation should be conducted to identify who Abu Hind is and under whose authority he was operating.
Sara Jasmine, also known as Pulastini Mahendran, who was believed to have fled the April 26, 2019 Sainthamaruthu bombing in Bolivarian village, Kalmunai, is associated with many unresolved and suspicious aspects of the event:
Conflicting Statements: Discrepancies exist among the statements given by police officers to the CID, the Presidential Commission, and in human rights commission records, as well as notes in the duty logbooks. These inconsistencies must be investigated.
Fatality Confusion: On April 27, 2019, Kalmunai Police reported 16 deaths. But two days later, the Ampara Police reported 17. No new bodies were discovered, and post-mortem reports detailed only 16. The basis for the 17th death must be investigated.
Survivors’ Testimonies: Initially, Zahran's wife, Fatima Hadia, and their daughter were reported to have survived. Police first recorded Hadia’s statement on May 3, 2019. On May 5, she disclosed that Sara Jasmine was present during the explosion. Yet, before this revelation, Ampara Police reported her as deceased. This contradiction must be investigated.
Unconfirmed Death of Sara Jasmine: Despite no DNA confirmation or conclusive evidence, her death was officially reported. This too requires investigation.
Sara Seen Alive: Zahran's wife testified before the Presidential Commission that a woman resembling Sara in voice and appearance spoke to her during the chaos. This must be formally investigated.
Motorbike Escape: Civilians and officers claim a motorbike fled the scene during the attack. No inquiry has been made into this claim.
Unidentified Escapee: It was revealed at the Commission that someone escaped the scene and was shot at by the army but not caught, and that CCTV footage of someone fleeing exists. A thorough investigation is needed.
Surviving Brother: Zahran's wife stated that one of Zahran's brothers was alive after the explosion, and she later heard gunshots. If the brother survived the initial blast but was later shot and burned, this should be investigated.
Shooting of a Woman on the Bridge: On that day, a woman in a three-wheeler was shot and killed on a bridge leading to the village. Locals speculated that she helped locate Zahran's group. Though the army claimed she was shot for disobeying orders, this death was never thoroughly investigated.
Tracer Bullets Used: The Commission revealed that tracer bullets, usually used in military operations, were fired at the house. How the attackers obtained such bullets is still unknown and should be investigated.
Police-Issued Firearm: A gun found near a body outside the house was a Sri Lankan police-issued weapon. How it came into civilian hands must be probed.
Siyam’s Disappearance: A person named Siyam allegedly fled the house at the time of the explosion. This was presented to the Commission but remains unverified. Investigation is necessary.
SIM Card Registered in 2020: A SIM card was registered to Sara Jasmine’s National ID in 2020, well after she was presumed dead. The investigation was abandoned afterward and must be resumed.
Mysterious Appearance of Sara’s ID: Her ID was handed over to CID days after the bombing by an Ampara officer, though it wasn't listed among items initially recovered from the blast site. Was this an attempt to falsely confirm her death? An inquiry is necessary.
Channel 4 Revelations: Statements made by Hansir Asath Maulana via Channel 4 while overseas must be examined.
Presidential Committee Report: Based on a complaint filed by the Centre for Society and Peace, the CID has initiated an investigation. A committee appointed by President Ranil Wickremesinghe looked into Maulana's claims, and its report was publicized by former MP Udaya Gammanpila. The committee noted a suspected link between Asath Maulana and Zahran's group. It also revealed that:
In August 2018, the doctor who treated Zahran’s brother Rilwan lived in the same village (Maradamunai) as Maulana.
Maulana allegedly helped the doctor emigrate.
Both had homes in Dehiwala’s Ebanyside area.
17. Asath Maulana alleges that it was former Director of Military Intelligence, Suresh Salley, who called him on April 21, 2019, and instructed him to take Jameel away. As mentioned earlier in this document, the bomb at the Taj Samudra Hotel did not detonate on April 21, 2019. Between 8:51 and 8:54 that morning, Jameel received a phone call. After receiving the call, Jameel left the hotel, went to the Tropical Inn lodge in Dehiwala, left his bag there, and proceeded to the Dehiwala Ebeneser Mosque. He remained at the mosque for a long time until someone arrived, and it was revealed before the Presidential Commission that Jameel told the mosque’s Moulavi that he was waiting there for a friend to arrive.
According to the Presidential Commission that investigated Channel 4’s allegations, Asath Maulana owns a house in the Dehiwala Ebeneser area. Therefore, it must be investigated whether Jameel went from the Taj Samudra Hotel to the Dehiwala Ebeneser mosque to meet Asath Maulana himself or one of his representatives.
18. It was revealed before the Presidential Commission that Dr. Shafras, who treated Rilwan, received a phone call at 1:38 a.m. on August 27, 2018, from a foreign country by a person named Mohamed Alliyar Marshuk Rila. After that, a local Sri Lankan phone number was used to call the doctor again and send him photographs of the injured Rilwan, and the doctor instructed that Rilwan be admitted immediately to the Colombo National Hospital.
It was also revealed before the Commission that in December 2018, Zaharan Hashim, along with Marshuk Rila and two others, visited the doctor’s house. The doctor’s mobile phone was taken into the custody of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) on September 19, 2019. Accordingly, an investigation should be conducted into the individuals who spoke with the doctor regarding Rilwan, and into the group who visited the doctor’s house with Zaharan in December 2018.
In addition to the four main points mentioned above, there should also be an investigation into the failure to act upon intelligence received on April 21, 2019. Based on information received on the evening of April 20, 2019, warning that Christian churches would be targeted the next day, Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG) Lalith Pathinayake contacted Colombo South Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Nishantha Soysa at 7:19 p.m. that night. He reportedly advised increased security at churches and more frequent mobile patrols on Easter Sunday, according to revelations before the Presidential Commission.
The Archbishop's official residence is located within the Colombo South Division. Therefore, a special investigation should be conducted into why this intelligence regarding the impending attack was not conveyed to the Archbishop’s official residence.
By the Research Division of the Center for Peace Studies
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by (2025-04-16 17:12:04)
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