1 October 2020 09:14 pm
Intelligence reports shared by State Intelligence Service (SIS) including details reported on social media and other media platforms cannot be considered as intelligence reports, former IGP Pujith Jayasundara yesterday informed the PCoI probing Easter Sunday attacks.
The former IGP made this remark when representatives from the Attorney General's (AG) Department questioned him regarding an intelligence report submitted by the SIS including details published by the 'Inspire' magazine affiliated to Al- Qaeda.
The commissioners then questioned the witness as to why he had added 'For Necessary Action' (FNA) on the foreign intelligence letter shared by the SIS regarding to a possible terror attack.
"The SIS had not shared a confirmed intelligence; in the letter the SIS mentioned that they were carrying further investigation into the matter. That's why I added FNA on the letter shared by the SIS and circulated among four senior officers attached to the Police," he said.
The commissioners then questioned the witness as then IGP if he had received an information about a plot to assassinate the President, what he would do in such a situation.
Mr. Jayasundara said he would present the intelligence to the President, whether it was accepted or not, regardless of the circumstances. "I will also inform the relevant investigation units and personally monitor the source which delivered the particular intelligence," he said.
Commissioner : "Then, according to the information provided by the SIS and the Chief of National Intelligence (CNI) that the important churches were to be attacked, why didn't you come up with this idea to save the devotees who were going to churches?,"
Former IGP: "An idea came Sir"
Commissioner: "Then why was this treated differently?"
Former IGP: "Sir, I did my best within my capacity. If this intelligence had been made public, I would have been able to explain why the IGP did so. And, sir, according to the letter from the State Intelligence Service only Churches and Indian High Commission were mentioned as targets but they also said they were conducting further inquiries." (Yoshitha Perera)