( Gotabhaya showing the blood marks after the attack)
Gotabhaya did not come out of the vehicle when Pitthala junction bomb explosion took place until an injured Commando who was in the vehicle behind him came and took him out. The blood patch on his shirt was of that injured Commando’s. It was this blood patch that he showed his brother, former President Rajapaksa, and that photo was circulated all around the media, says former Army commander Minister Sarath Fonseka.
He had said this while addressing a press conference at his office in Battaramulla, reports Daily News.
Replying to a media statement by the former Defence Secretary over his remark in Parliament recently that the bomb attack was orchestrated by Rajapaksa, Fonseka had reiterated that his charge was based on strong evidence.
“Rajapaksa kept a gas mask inside his vehicle on this particular day. It is a known fact that sometimes the doors get locked following a bomb blast. The question we ask is whether he did not expect this bomb blast that day” he had said.
Repeating some remarks in his Parliament speech, Fonseka said: “I have doubts over this bomb attack as the LTTE never exploded bombs from this far. Nor they targeted bullet-proof cars. The bomb attack that targeted me was just two metres away from me.”
While refuting Rajapaksa’s claim that the car he used was only resistant to bullets and hand grenade, Fonseka had said the car used by Rajapaksa had “Level 6 resistance”, adding that it could only be damaged if 20kgs of explosives were blasted in a manner that touched the surface of the car.
“The bomb that was fixed in the three-wheel was five kgs. There was no proof to say it was a suicide attack. It could have been exploded by remote control,” he had further said.