Easter Sunday Commission SIS had failed to discover most important intelligence: Hemasiri

• Had been received from a foreign counterpart and not from the SIS

By Yoshitha Perera   

As the State Intelligence Service (SIS) it had failed to discovered the most important intelligence regarding the possible terrorist attack on April 21, 2019, former Defence Secretary Hemasiri Fernando yesterday informed the PCoI probing Easter Sunday attacks. 

Testifying before the Commission, former Defence Secretary said that the most important intelligence for the country’s National Security had been received from a foreign counterpart and not from the SIS. “Any intelligence service in the country had not identified Zahran as a terrorist and all the intelligence reports which were submitted, had not provided any support to identify a threat to National Security,” he said. Mr. Fernando said that he was in the dark after receiving the initial foreign intelligence because the SIS had not reported any progress of the following intelligence until April 21, 2019. “The initial foreign intelligence which received on April 21, 2019 contained doubtful information regarding to the attack; and the SIS had failed to confirm the following intelligence,” he said. The witness added that he had received isolated information with regard to several incidents which occurred within a period between December 2018 and April 2019 in relation to the spreading of Islamic extremism. However, the SIS had failed to submit an analysis of the following incidents by connecting them to show the possible threat to the National Security, he said.