Naufer Maulavi is the mastermind of the 2019 Terror Attacks

Colombo (News 1st); Naufer Maulavi was identified as the mastermind of the 2019 April 21st Attacks, said Public Security Minister Rear Admiral (Retd) Dr. Sarath Weerasekara.

"Naufer Maulavi worked with Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi in 2014 to propagate the ideology of ISIS in Iraq and to establish the caliphate. It is Naufer Maulavi who brain-washed Zaharan in 2016 to carry out the attacks," the Minister told a media briefing on Tuesday (06). He was speaking at the briefing organized by the President-appointed six-member Committee to study in-depth the facts and recommendations on the course of action contained in the final report of the Presidential Commission of Inquiry (PCoI) into 2019 April 21st Attacks and the report of the Sectoral Oversight Committee on National Security which was submitted to Parliament. The minister also went on to note that Naufer Maulavi worked with Rasheed Hajjul Akbar, the former leader of the Jamaat-e-Islami organization in Sri Lanka to carry out the attacks. "Naufer Maulavi is currently in remand custody," said the Minister. Rasheed Hajjul Akbar, who headed the Jamaat-e-Islami organization for 24 years until September 2019, was arrested by the Terrorism Investigation Division (TID) on the 13th of March 2021. The President-appointed committee to study in-depth the reports on the 2019 April 21st Attacks had produced 08 case files to the Attorney General against 32 people for manslaughter and conspiracy to breach the peace. Public Security Minister Rear Admiral (Retd) Dr. Sarath Weerasekara speaking to reporters on Tuesday (06) said the Attorney General will file cases against the identified individuals after the 12-member AGs Department team completes studying and analyzing the evidence. "Sri Lanka Police completed the investigations on the 08 incidents and produced the evidence required to prosecute 32 people who are directly responsible for the attacks," he said. "However, the investigations will continue against those who propagated extremism," said the Minister adding 75 people are being detained on detention orders while 211 are in remand custody. "The 32 people identified to be directly responsible for the attacks are among the 211 people held in remand," said the Minister. [embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jCY2DmMIM9w[/embed]