Min. claims Naufer Maulavi mastermind of attacks; AG says he's only a key player

COLOMBO (News 1st); According to the investigations carried out by Sri Lanka Police and US detectives, it is clear that Naufer Maulavi played the role of the mastermind in the 2019 April 21st Attacks, said Sri Lanka's Public Security Minister Rear Admiral (Retd) Dr. Sarath Weerasekara on Wednesday (19).

'He is the person who brought the IS ideology to Sri Lanka and roped in Mohamed Zaharan towards that ideology in 2016,' the minister told Parliament adding it was confirmed by the statements given by Zaharan's spouse.

"It was Naufer Maulavi who carried out IS training programs in Sri Lanka and evidence from his documents and laptop support this claim,' he said adding it was Naufer Maulavi who prepared the said curriculum and supervised the training camps in Nuwara Eliya and Hambantota.

"In addition, Naufer Maulavi gave his sister-in-law in marriage to Zaharan," said the Minister adding the US Federal Bureau of Investigation also proved Naufer Maulavi is the main player in the attacks.

In addition, Sri Lanka Intelligence has uncovered links between Lukman Thalib, a Sri Lankan living overseas, and Al-Qaeda and IS.

Lukman Thalib has two sons and one son is already under house arrest in Australia, said the Public Security Minister.

Sri Lanka has also traced 04 Maldivian suspects who financed the National Organizer of the Jamaat-e-Islami organization, Sadik Abdullah, and provide weapons manufacturing equipment.

There is no need to have any doubt over the investigations on the 2019 April 21st Attacks, he said.

“There is a Grand Conspiracy with regard to the 2019 April Attacks,” said Sri Lanka’s Attorney General told News 1st in an EXCLUSIVE interview adding the information by the State Intelligence Service with times, targets, places, method of attacks and other information is clear evidence there was a Grand Conspiracy in place.

Speaking exclusively to News 1st’s Zulfick Farzan, Attorney General Dappula De Livera said that the identities of those involved in the grand conspiracy must come by the way of evidence.

He said the AGs Department is now focused on a conspiracy surrounding the terror attacks adding that there are multiple suspects connected to it including Naufer Maulavi, the person that the Sri Lankan government ruled as the mastermind of the attacks.

However, Attorney General De Livera speaking to News 1st said Naufer Maulavi is a key figure in the conspiracy to carry out the attacks, and it is not possible to confirm if he was the mastermind, though he is the leader of the group.

“This needs to be looked at holistically and time would tell,” said the Attorney General adding the present investigation is on a group of people who participated in planning the attacks.

“The conspirators of these attacks are at a different level. People like Zaharan Hashim (the leader of the group that carried out the attacks) would have been involved in the conspiracy though he decided to explode himself,” De Livera added.

“We cannot say the investigations on the Grand Conspiracy has been concluded,” said Dappula De Livera.