PCoI on Easter Sunday Attacks: SIS informed police to probe suspicious extremist activities: Former Director

By Yoshitha Perera   

The National Thawheed Jamaat (NTJ) had received political backing from politician Ameer Ali in 2017 and the State Intelligence Service (SIS) had informed Kattankudy police to impartially investigate the particular matter, former SIS Director SDIG Nilantha Jayawardena yesterday informed PCoI probing Easter Sunday attacks.   

Jayawardena said that through a letter sent to former IGP Pujith Jayasundara in March, 2017, the SIS had informed about the activities conducted by Islamic extremists groups in Kattankudy.   

Commissioners then questioned the witness whether these Islamic extremists groups received political assistance. Responding to the question the witness said these extremist groups had received political backing from certain ministers.   

Jayawardena said that sharing filtered information with regard to national security, with the general public was a problem because people can take certain racist action to avoid a disastrous situation.   

Responding to a question raised by a Commissioner with regard to informing of general public on the matters pertaining to Islamic extremism, Jayawardena said that if authorities had shared those information with the public, they might take extreme action and that would be another threat to national security.   

The Commissioner also questioned the witness sharing information with the public would have helped to arrest Zahran.   Jayawardena said sharing information with pubic might be an easiest way to arrest Zahran during that time but certain actions could have created chaos.