• AG refers questions on Easter Sunday cases to Police
• Catholic community awaits justice
• Commemoration events set for 6th anniversary

Two days before marking the sixth anniversary of the 2019 Easter Sunday bomb attacks, the Catholic Church has expressed satisfaction with the state of the ongoing investigations.

Speaking to The Sunday Morning yesterday (19), Colombo Archdiocese Communication Director Rev. Father Jude Krishantha said that the authorities had been periodically updating the church on the progress of investigations into the attack.

“We are satisfied with the investigations. They informed us from time to time on how the investigations are progressing,” he said.

He further noted that a number of cases, including the cases of the victims who had filed for compensation, were still ongoing, claiming that there were about 20-25 suspects in custody at the moment.

“Some among those in custody are individuals who possess a lot of information about the attack.”

He expressed that they believe Asad Maulana could be a key to finding out about those who were responsible for the attack.

Maulana, a witness who testified on the attack for a Channel 4 documentary, alleged that there were connections between the intelligence service and local politicians and that these entities were involved in the attack.

“We hope that a lot can be revealed through questioning Asad Maulana who provided information in the Channel 4 documentary,” said Fr. Krishantha.

When asked about the progress of the cases related to the Easter Sunday attacks, Attorney General Parinda Ranasinghe told The Sunday Morning that the cases were being handled by the Police.

“We are not involved in it. You must speak to the Police,” he said.

Speaking to The Sunday Morning, Police Media Spokesperson SSP Buddhika Manatunga said that all those who had been arrested in connection with the attacks were either in remand prison or out on conditional bail. 

He added that no suspects remained in Police custody at present. 

Meanwhile, a senior official at the Ministry of Public Security and Parliamentary Affairs claimed that the investigations were moving ahead. “The investigations are going well. They are making progress,” he told The Sunday Morning.

Fr. Krishantha further stated that the Catholic community, along with many other Sri Lankans, were awaiting justice for the victims of the attack. He said that they were hopeful that President Anura Kumara Dissanayake would make revelations about the attacks and take the investigations forward.

Commemoration events for the victims of the Easter Sunday terror attacks are planned to be held at the St. Anthony’s Shrine, Kochchikade and St. Sebastian’s Church, Katuwapitiya, marking the sixth anniversary of the attacks tomorrow (21).