Saudi Embassy denies false allegation

The Saudi Embassy in Colombo yesterday expressed its ‘displeasure and condemnation’ of what it called ‘false allegations’ over the controversy regarding an alleged top secret document published by the Lebanese news site Al-Ahed that cited a letter supposed to have been sent by the Foreign Ministry of Saudi Arabia to its mission in Colombo on April 16 on certain measures that the embassy and its employees should take particularly with regard to Easter Sunday.

The top secret letter published in Al-Ahed website states, “In a leaked ‘urgent, confidential and top secret’ document, the Saudi Arabian Ministry of Foreign Affairs confesses responsibility or at least ‘relation’ to the terrorist attacks that hit Sri Lanka two weeks ago as Christians celebrated Easter Sunday.

Obtained by al-Ahed, the paper, which carries the Hijri date of 11/8/1440, the day equivalent to April 16, 2019, some five days that preceded the massacre, was tailed by the Saudi Foreign Minister Ibrahim bin Abdul Aziz al-Assaf’s signature. It is a letter sent to Saudi Ambassador to Sri Lanka, Abdul Nasser al-Harethi.

The document reads the following:

Urgent – Top Secret

His Excellency Ambassador Abdul Nasser bin Hussein al-Harethi

You should carry out the following measures immediately:

First: You should delete all documents, computer data and latest correspondence with domestic and foreign members and groups, in addition to imposing a curfew for the embassy personnel unless it is necessary

Second: You should inform all those related to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia including counselors, security forces and intelligence during the three coming days, especially on the Christian Easter Day, to avoid presence in public and crowded places namely churches

Third: You should send written news about the Sri Lankan authorities and their viewpoints regularly to this ministry

Ibrahim bin Abdul Aziz al-Assaf

Foreign Minister

It was on April 21st, 2019 -coinciding Easter Sunday- that three Christian churches in Sri Lanka and three luxury hotels in the commercial capital Colombo were targeted in a series of coordinated terrorist suicide bombings.

Later that day, there were smaller explosions at a housing complex in Dematagoda and a guest house in Dehiwala. 253 people were martyred, including at least 42 foreign nationals and three police officers, and at least 500 others were injured.”

Meanwhile, the Saudi Embassy in Colombo said, “The Royal Embassy of Saudi Arabia to Sri Lanka closely followed the news item published in the local newspaper 'Weekend Express' on May 3, 2019, under the heading 'Leaked document reveals Saudi responsibility for the attacks' quoted from the Lebanese news site 'Al-Ahed'.

The embassy expresses its displeasure and condemnation about publishing false allegations against the Kingdom in a state-owned newspaper, which led other local media to publish the same news item.

The Embassy categorically denies such lies and emphasizes that the published news item is baseless,”