Leader of the House and Education Minister Susil Premajayantha told Parliament yesterday that former State Intelligence Service (SIS) Director Nilantha Jayawardena had informed former Defence Ministry Secretary Hemasiri Fernando, Inspector General of Police Pujith Jayasundara and Senior Deputy Inspector General of the Criminal Investigation Department, Ravi Seneviratne, about an attack planned by a group led by Zahran Hashim an activist of the National Tawheed Jamaat targeting Catholic churches and hotels and a trial explosion carried out by them at Thalankuda on April 16, 2019 prior to the Easter Sunday bombings through a Whatsapp message on April 20, 2019.
The Minister said this while answering a question raised by SJB MP Hector Appuhamy on behalf of Public Security Minister Tiran Alles.Former State Intelligence Service Director SDIG Nilantha Jayawardene had informed then IGP Pujith Jayasundara and Senior DIG Ravi Senevirathne on the trial explosion carried out by Zahran’s group on April 16, 2019 prior to the Easter Sunday bomb attacks through this Whatsapp message.The former National Intelligence Service Director had also informed the two officials in writing about the further report related to the exploding motorcycle and the foreign telephone numbers that are in contact with the Saharan network on April 19.The former State Intelligence Service Director had sent a letter to the Chief of National Intelligence, Sisira Mendis,on April 07, 2019 informing him of intelligence information provided by a foreign intelligence agency and seeking advice in this regard.
Irangika Range