Intelligence Failures in 2019 Easter Attacks Probe, Says Former Detective

COLOMBO (News 1st): Retired Senior Deputy Inspector General of Police (SDIG) Shani Abeyesekera, the former Director of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID), has provided a detailed account of the events surrounding the April 21, 2019 attack, asserting that it was an organized crime with a premeditated conspiracy.

Abeyesekera emphasized that the evidence uncovered so far indicates the involvement of a specific group, and further investigations are needed to connect all the pieces.

He highlighted the need to examine the statement of an individual named Anzeer Maulana, who claimed that a person involved in the attack contacted him on April 21, 2019, seeking assistance to evacuate a group member from the Taj Samudra hotel.

According to Abeyesekera, CCTV footage showed Jameel, who attempted to detonate a bomb at the Taj Samudra, receiving a phone call before leaving the hotel.

Jameel was later found at the Tropical Inn lodge in Dehiwala, where he booked a room and left his backpack before heading to a nearby mosque.

Suspicious behavior led to his questioning by authorities, during which he claimed to have had an altercation with his wife. His wife, Omar Kaththa, confirmed his story to the authorities, and an intelligence officer spoke with Jameel through her phone.

"His wife tells the officer that Jameel spoke with her and left and that members of the intelligence are now looking for him at his house. Her name is Omar Kaththa. An intelligence officer spoke through Omar Kaththa's phone. The officer speaks with Jameel, gets the details, and the other officer who checked him leaves. In about 10 minutes, he gets another call from the wife's number and informs the other officer to keep the man there for a bit and that they will be there," elaborated the Former Senior Detective.

Abeyesekera also recounted an investigation into the murder of police officers in Vavunathivu on November 30, 2018.

He noted that misleading intelligence reports initially attributed the attack to the LTTE, but subsequent arrests revealed the involvement of the National Thawheed Jamath led by Zaharan. He expressed concerns about the misleading information provided by intelligence units and the subsequent impact on the investigation.

"While we were conducting a lengthy investigation on the 3rd of December 2018, the Deputy Inspector General of Police of the State Intelligence Nilantha Jayawardena, calls Ravi Senivirathne over the phone and says that a jacket used for the murder has been found near a culvert, and asked him to conduct an inquiry into that. That scene of the crime was overlooked, and the sniffer dog went into the house of Ajanthan who was arrested by the OIC of the Vavunathivu police based on information provided by intelligence units. 72 hours had passed between the 30th of November and the 3rd of December when this information was received. Therefore, the scent could not have been there," he said.

"Also a man could remove the jacket and proceed into the paddy field. We spoke to a farmer at the paddy field as well, and he said that he went pass that area but the jacket was not there when he walked by in the morning," he added.

Director of Army Intelligence Brigadier Chula Kodithuwakku had sent multiple intelligence reports indicating that the attack was carried out by the LTTE.

However, the arrest of "Gaffoor MAMA" on April 25 revealed that the National Thawheed Jamath was responsible.

Abeyesekera questioned why intelligence units provided misleading information, which misled the investigation and even the head of state.

"Former Director of Army Intelligence Chula Kodithuwakku at the Easter Sunday commission, testified that it seems as if this organization had received funding. Then the commission asks where did they receive that money from. He then says that the money either came from the department I work at or the state intelligence service. He had clearly said this. So we will try our best to continue this investigation and the other investigations," he added.