After Sallay, Gotabaya Rajapaksa is the next - Ex MP

Officer who warned on Easter extremists now treated as suspect Says arrest of Major General (rtd) Suresh Sallay is ‘political operation’

Former Minister and National Freedom Front (NFF) leader Wimal Weerawansa yesterday alleged that the arrest of Major General (rtd) Suresh Sallay is a politically motivated move aimed at appeasing elements of the Tamil diaspora while undermining national security.   

Addressing a media briefing at the party headquarters in Battaramulla yesterday, Weerawansa strongly condemned what he described as the targeting of a senior military intelligence officer who had rendered exceptional service to the country during the war.   

He said Major General (rtd) Sallay had played a pivotal role in providing critical intelligence that enabled successful strikes on key LTTE targets, including senior leader Tamilselvan.   

Weerawansa further claimed that Sallay and his team were the first to alert the Security Council that Zahran Hashim and his group had links to the ISIS organization in connection with the Easter Sunday attacks.   

“Their next move is to go after Gotabaya Rajapaksa by leveraging the arrest of Suresh Sallay. This claim is utterly baseless. Would Easter Sunday attacks mastermind Zahran Hashim really sacrifice his own life to help Gotabaya Rajapaksa widely known as a staunch Sinhala Buddhist become President? What kind of absurd argument is this?”  

According to the NFF leader, Major General (rtd) Sallay had warned the Yahapalana government’s Security Council about the extremist network linked to the Easter attacks, and it was “ironic” that the same officer is now being treated as a suspect.   

He also alleged that while the assets of individuals such as the Ibrahims—who faced accusations over the Easter attacks—are being released, officers who risked their lives for the country are being subjected to legal action.   

Weerawansa maintained that the arrest of Major General (rtd) Sallay amounts to a political witch-hunt and urged the public to understand what he described as the political agenda behind the move.