Former Sri Lankan intelligence chief Suresh Sallay arrested for conspiracy and aiding 2019 Easter attacks
The bombings killed 279 people and injured over 500, severely impacting Sri Lanka's tourism sector
Sallay was promoted after Rajapaksa became president but dismissed after Dissanayake won in 2024
Previous investigations found officials failed to act on warnings about imminent attacks
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Sri Lankan criminal investigators arrested the country's former intelligence chief, retired Major-General Suresh Sallay, in a suburb of the capital Colombo on Wednesday, February 25, 2026, for his alleged role in aiding and conspiring the 2019 Easter Sunday bombings that killed 279 people and severely impacted the nation's tourism sector. According to investigating officers, Sallay was taken into custody at dawn and faces charges of conspiracy and abetting the suicide attacks that targeted three churches and three luxury hotels during Easter celebrations in April 2019. The bombings injured over 500 people, including 45 foreign nationals, and dealt a devastating blow to Sri Lanka's vital tourism industry. Sallay, who was promoted to head the State Intelligence Service in 2019 after President Gotabaya Rajapaksa took office, had previously denied involvement in the coordinated attacks despite allegations of orchestrating them. The arrest follows years of investigations and controversy surrounding the bombings, with British broadcaster Channel 4 reporting in 2023 that Sallay had met with the bombers before the attack and allegedly permitted it to proceed with the intention of influencing that year's presidential election in favor of Rajapaksa, who won the November vote after declaring his candidacy just two days after the bombings. Sallay was dismissed from his position after President Anura Kumara Dissanayake won the 2024 presidential election on a promise to prosecute those responsible for the attacks.
Violent tactic resulting in the attacker's intentional death
A suicide attack (also known by a wide variety of other names, see below) is a deliberate attack in which the perpetrators intentionally end their own lives as part of the attack. These attacks are a form of murder–suicide that is often associated with terrorism or war. When the attackers are labell...
Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, formerly known as Ceylon, is an island country in South Asia. It is located in the Indian Ocean, southwest of the Bay of Bengal, and is separated from India by the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait. Sri Lanka shares a maritime bo...
Use of violence to achieve political or ideological aims
Terrorism, in its broadest sense, is the use of violence against non-combatants to achieve political or ideological aims. The term is used in this regard primarily to refer to intentional violence during peacetime or in the context of war against non-combatants. There are various different definitio...
News Sri Lanka’s former intelligence chief arrested over 2019 Easter attacks Investigators say Suresh Sallay aided and conspired in the deadly Easter Sunday attacks that killed nearly 300 people. Listen to this article | 3 mins By Al Jazeera Staff and AFP Published On 25 Feb 2026 25 Feb 2026 Click here to share on social media Share Save Sri Lanka’s criminal investigators have arrested the country’s former intelligence chief in connection with the wave of 2019 Easter Sunday bombings that killed 279 people and upended the nation’s tourism economic lifeline, police said. Retired Major-General Suresh Sallay was taken into custody at dawn in a suburb of the capital, police said on Wednesday. Recommended Stories list of 3 items list 1 of 3 Sri Lanka’s New War list 2 of 3 Sri Lanka attacks: Bombed church reopens list 3 of 3 Sri Lanka bombings: Investigations under way end of list “He was arrested for conspiracy and aiding and abetting the Easter Sunday attacks,” an investigating officer told the AFP news agency. Sallay, who was promoted to State Intelligence Service chief in 2019 after Gotabaya Rajapaksa became president, had been accused of involvement in the coordinated suicide bombings, a charge he has denied. Six almost simultaneous suicide bomb attacks struck Easter congregations at three churches and guests at three luxury hotels during breakfast. The bombings injured more than 500 people, also killed 45 foreign nationals, and dealt a severe blow to the island’s vital tourism sector. In the aftermath, officials blamed a local armed group for the suicide bombings, but Sallay was also accused of orchestrating the attack. British broadcaster Channel 4 reported in 2023 that Sallay was linked to the bombers and had met them before the attack. A whistleblower told the network that he had permitted the attack to proceed with the intention of influencing that year’s presidential election in favour of Rajapaksa. Two days after the bombings, Rajapaksa declared his candidacy a...
