NEW DELHI: Former Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena is set to face police questioning on Monday regarding his recent statements about the 2019 Easter bombings that claimed 270 lives, including those of 11 Indians.
During a speech in Kandy last Wednesday, Sirisena said that he knew the individuals behind the attacks.
“I know who did it,” he said.
Following these remarks, the Sri Lankan police have initiated an investigation into the matter.
Police chief Deshabandu Tennakoon confirmed that Sirisena’s statement would be officially recorded on Monday.
The bombings, which occurred on April 21, 2019, were carried out by nine suicide bombers associated with the local Islamist extremist group National Thawheed Jamaat (NTJ), with links to ISIS.
The attacks targeted three churches and three luxury hotels in Sri Lanka.
Amidst the tragedy, conspiracy theories suggested political manipulation by the Rajapaksa brothers, who were in opposition at the time of the attacks and later accused Sirisena of exploiting the situation for the 2019 presidential election.
A special presidential panel found Sirisena guilty of negligence for failing to act on prior intelligence warnings about the attacks.
Consequently, he was instructed to pay 100 million in compensation to the victims’ families, of which only a partial amount has been settled to date.
( with input from agency)