Vanathawillu, Mawanella vandals not connected to April 21 attack: CID Director

Director of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) SSP Shani Abeysekera said yesterday none of the suspects who were arrested in connection with the Vanathawillu and Mawanella incidents had participated in the Easter Sunday attacks.

Director Abeysekera revealed these facts while testifying before the Parliamentary Select Committee (PSC) probing the Easter Sunday attacks last evening.

He said two persons who were arrested at Vanathawillu were released as there were no charges brought against them. “The two who were released have been asked to report to the police on a given day and they do that every month. They did so even last month,” he said.

Additionally, he said 12 suspects arrested in connection with the Mawanella incident where Buddha statues were damaged are still in prison. He said none of the suspects in the Vanathawillu or Mawanella incidents had participated in suicide attacks on April 21.

He revealed that the gelignite which was recovered at an estate last January would have been sufficient to carry out 25 bomb blasts such as those carried out on Easter Sunday.

He explained that Zahran and his followers were planning to set up a camp in Vanathawillu in order to carry out attacks emanating from jungles in the area. “They were planning to carry out much more than bomb attacks on April 21,” he said.

Coming up with another disclosure the CID Director said that available video footage clearly showed that the suicide bomber who arrived at the Hotel Taj Samudra had tried to detonate the bomb strapped to him not once but twice, but his detonation device had malfunctioned. (Yohan Perera and Ajith Siriwardana)