New developments emerged before the Fort Magistrate’s Court during hearings related to the 2019 Easter Sunday terror attacks. Further investigations carried out by the police following the Easter attacks have revealed several important details, while information regarding suspects linked to the incident has also been presented before court.
Additional Solicitor General Dileepa Peiris told court that former State Intelligence Service chief Suresh Sallay allegedly contacted Azad Maulana over the phone on the day of the coordinated bombings.
Prosecutors Reveal Alleged Contact Between SIS Chief and Azad Maulana
Referring to Maulana’s statement, Peiris explained that the caller requested urgent assistance for a man waiting near the beachfront close to the Taj Samudra hotel at Galle Face. The caller allegedly asked Maulana to collect the individual’s mobile phone, provide support, and transport him away from the area.
However, Maulana informed the caller that he remained in Batticaloa at the time. Following that response, Sallay allegedly disconnected the call immediately, according to submissions made before court.
Court Links Abdul Latheef Jameel to Phone Conversation
During the hearing, Dileepa Peiris identified the person mentioned in the conversation as Abdul Latheef Jameel. Investigators later connected Jameel to the explosion at the Tropical Inn lodge in Dehiwala, where he died after detonating explosives.
The court also heard that current Senior Deputy Inspector General Varuna Jayasundara, who headed the Terrorism Investigation Division at that time, submitted reports stating that Abdul Latheef Jameel did not appear on records as a terrorist during that period.
In another disclosure, former SIS Director Nilantha Jayawardena reportedly forwarded a detailed letter regarding Jameel to former Inspector General of Police Pujith Jayasundara on November 8, 2017.
