PCoI probing Easter Sunday attacks Suicide bombers bought backpacks, shawls before attack - Witness

By Yoshitha Perera   

The Suicide bomber who blew himself at Kingsbury Hotel Mohammed Azam Mohammed Mubarak and Katuwapitiya Church bomber Mohammed Hastun had purchased nine backpacks and eight shawls which the National Thowheed Jamaat (NTJ) members had been wearing in the video they aired before the attack, on April 11, 2019, the witness told the Presidential Commission (PCoI) probing Easter Sunday attacks on Tuesday (27). 

Testifying before the Commission, an officer attached to the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) submitted the CCTV footage and invoices related to purchasing of nine backpacks and eight shawls from various shops in Colombo area.  

“Two suicide bombers visited a shop in Battaramulla to buy the backpacks and also visited a shop in Grandpass, Colombo 14 to buy the shawls,” the CID officer said.  

• 12 National NTJ members had remained in the East to carryout a second wave of attacks in August 2019

The officer said during the inquiry that the CID observed that the suicide bombers had stayed in a safe house located in Paraththa Road, Panadura before the attack.   

The CID also found several empty polythene bags which had steel balls, number plates, a bill issued from a car park in Negombo and several empty cans which were used to store chemicals from the Panadura safe house.   The witness said, with the help of the lorry driver, the CID were able to locate the safe house in Kalmunai.