Suresh Sallay has been linked to the Easter Sunday attacks that took place on April 21, 2019 by concerned groups and has been accused of masterminding them. However, he has denied these allegations.
The Easter Sunday attacks were carried out by a group of suicide bombers led by Saharan Hashim. Sources state that Suresh Sallay has been arrested on charges of aiding and abetting the attacks. In addition, he might be charged with conspiracy to carry out the Easter Sunday attacks, which is considered a very serious offence.
The main allegation implicating General Suresh Saleh in the Easter Sunday attacks was made by Hansir Azad Maulana, the former propaganda secretary of pro-Rajapaksa politician Sivanesathurai Chandrakanthan, also known as Pillayan. Maulana has submitted a detailed statement to the United Nations and several international human rights organizations. He is currently living in hiding in a European country while seeking political asylum.
It is unclear whether the CID has obtained a statement from Hansir Azad Maulana, although unconfirmed sources suggest that he has made contact with the CID. Suresh Saleh has denied the statement he submitted to the United Nations and other international organizations. Nevertheless, other evidence suggests that the CID believes he was involved in the Easter Sunday attacks.
It has also been revealed that several reports submitted by a State Intelligence Service agent who infiltrated Saharan’s group have gone missing from the CID. Investigations are underway to identify those responsible for these disappearances, and it is reported that several statements have already been recorded in this regard.
Furthermore, investigations conducted under Shani Abeysekara, who assumed duties as Director of the CID after the new government came to power, have uncovered evidence indicating a deliberate conspiracy to cover up the attack on the Vavunathivu police station on November 30, 2019. This attack was carried out by Saharan’s group, but information relating to it was allegedly concealed by a State Intelligence Service. An intelligent agent has sent a report within a week of the incident detailing the involvement of Saharan’s group in the attack. This concealment is believed to have enabled Saharan’s group to proceed with the Easter Sunday attacks. The identity of the official responsible for the concealment has not yet been disclosed.
In addition, new investigations have uncovered several suspicious circumstances surrounding the suicide bombing in Sainthamaruthu, where remaining members of Saharan’s group and their families died in a mass suicide. In particular, evidence suggests that the killing of Saharan’s brother, Zainee Hashim Maulavi, and another individual posing as a journalist—both of whom could have been arrested as witnesses—was part of a deliberate plan.
Sources further indicate that the CID intends to detain and question General Suresh Saleh without producing him before court.
Meanwhile, former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s Defence Adviser, Rohan Gunaratne, issuing a statement condemning the arrest, said that “the arrest of General Salle is being celebrated by two groups. The first group consists of the terrorists and extremists who carried out the Easter Sunday massacre. The second group comprises political radicals who are fabricating false narratives and conspiracy theories about the Easter massacre and placing the blame on the Sri Lankan security forces.”
However, Gotabaya Rajapaksa has stated that, during the 2022 popular struggle, individuals, including Rohan Gunaratne and General Kamal Gunaratne were infiltrated by the United States Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). According to Rajapaksa, this infiltration took place as part of a CIA programme.
This claim was revealed in a recent YouTube interview with Asanga Abeygunasekara by popular Youtuber Chamuditha Samarawickrama. Gotabaya Rajapaksa reportedly told Asanga Abeygunasekara in 2023 that the CIA programme played a decisive role in his loss of the presidency.