PCoI on Easter Sunday attacks: No concrete evidence to suggest foreign links- Shani

By Yoshitha Perera   

Former Criminal Investigation Department (CID) Director Shani Abeysekara on Monday informed the PCoI probing Easter Sunday attacks that there was no definite information on the foreign connection involved in Easter Sunday attacks when he was serving as the Director of the CID.   

Testifying before the Commission the former CID Director said that he was not aware about the current situation of the Easter Sunday investigation but right after the Easter Sunday attacks which occurred during his tenure as the CID Director there was no verified or definite information about the international connection to the attack.   

Former CID Director Shani Abeysekara commenced providing evidence before the Commission on Monday.   

“The vandalising of Buddha statues in Mawanella had taken place on December 23, 2018. The investigation was handed over to a team including CID Inspector Marasinghe. The Kegalle Police had arrested three suspects but the key suspects Sadique and Sahid could not be apprehended,” he said.   

The witness said that on January 15, 2019 he had visited Mannar after receiving information from a trusted informant that Sadique and Shahid were planning to escape the country and flee to India by boat.