Indian warnings at the heart of historic Sri Lanka judgment

Near precise Indian intelligence warnings about an impending disaster in Sri Lanka ahead of the 2019 Easter suicide bombings and the manner in which these were ignored are the main reasons the Supreme Court imposed mammoth fines as compensation to be paid by the then President and others.

The 124-page ruling by the island nation’s top court delivered on Wednesday (January 11) repeatedly refers to more than one warning from India that Islamists were set to target churches and hotels, with a final message pinpointing the D Day as April 21, 2019.

Worst carnage since the end of the Tamil separatist conflict

Precisely on April 21, on Easter Sunday, suicide bombers struck at three churches in Sri Lanka and three luxury hotels in Colombo in coordinated attacks that claimed around 270 lives. A second wave of attacks was planned but was thwarted due to police raids.

The dead included eight bombers, three police officers, 45 foreigners and the rest Sri Lankans, mostly Catholics. It was the worst carnage in Sri Lanka since the end of the Tamil separatist conflict a decade earlier.

The suicide bombers were promptly linked to the National Thowheeth Jama’ath (NTJ), a Sri Lankan Islamist group with proven links to the Islamic State. Colombo outlawed it after the carnage.

Indian intelligence warnings were ignored

Soon after the bombings, it became widely known that India had passed on actionable intelligence but these were ignored. The Supreme Court judgement brings this out in the starkest fashion.

According to the judgement, on April 4, 2019, Nilantha Jayawardena, the Director of the State Intelligence Service (SIS), received information from “a highly delicate source via WhatsApp to the effect that the NTJ leader and his associates were planning a suicide terror attack on important churches”.

The source – which was evidently Indian – also indicated that the attackers had conducted a reconnaissance of the Indian High Commission located in the heart of Colombo.

Also read: Lanka PM to appear before Parliamentary Committee probing Easter attacks

“The information received through WhatsApp was subsequently confirmed in writing (the next day) at 0900 hours. On the same day, similar information was received in writing from another delicate source at 12.15 hours.”

The judgement also indicates that the Indian intelligence warning came with names of suspects who could carry out the attacks: Zahran Hassim, his brother Rilwan, and Milhan.

Interestingly, the Sri Lankan authorities already had a list of 94 young Muslims who had been radicalized. A fresh list prepared on January 31, 2019, contained 129 names. These included Zahran and the other two. This was three months before the Easter Sunday tragedy.

The churches lay vulnerable and exposed to imminent attacks: SC

The Supreme Court says: “Easter Sunday was just a few weeks away when the heads-up about the imminent attack came from India, but there is little alertness or perceptiveness shown by officials to carry out any measures to safeguard any of the churches in the country. Thus, this court cannot get away from an irresistible conclusion that the churches lay vulnerable and exposed to imminent attacks.”

Three days after the Indian intelligence warning on April 4, Sirisa Mendis, the Chief of National Intelligence (CNI), got a letter marked “top secret” containing some startling information.

It spoke of Zahran Hassim and his associates planning suicide terror attacks in Sri Lanka “shortly” targeting “some important churches” and that they had conducted a reconnaissance of the Indian High Commission.

The “input” – an indication that this information too came from India – indicated that the terrorists might adopt any of the following modes of attack: “suicide attack, weapon attack, knife attack or truck attack”. Six suspects were named: Zahran, Jal Al Quithal, Rilwan, Sajid Moulavi, Shahid and Milhan among others.

Warnings indicated likely attackers, modes of attack and their targets

The Supreme Court says: “Thus, there was specificity, exactitude and clarity as to the likely attackers, modes of attack and their targets.”

A day before the April 21 carnage, more intelligence information came from India, according to the court. Intelligence officer Nilantha Jayawardena received “most vital, specific and reliable intelligence” on April 20 at 16.12 hours – also on WhatsApp.

Also read: Sri Lankan police officials to face criminal charges for Easter Sunday Attacks

This Indian input said that Zahran and his associates would carry out the attacks on April 21 (the next day) and that eight targets had been selected including a church and a hotel.

The source further revealed that they had conducted a dry run and caused a blast with an explosive-laden motorcycle at Palamunai near Kattankudy in the eastern province of Batticaloa on April 16.

An affidavit by the Director of the State Intelligence Service (SIS) said: “It is learnt that they are likely to carry out their attack in Sri Lanka at any time on or before 21.04.2019. They have reportedly selected eight places including a church and a hotel where Indians inhabit in large numbers.”

A flurry of messages followed this pinpointed warning of April 20. The judgement details who all were alerted. But nothing concrete was done, and the terrorists unleashed mayhem on Easter Sunday.

‘Suicide bombings could have been foiled’

The Supreme Court says: “Urgent and accurate Indian warnings elicited a tardy and confused response and it does not augur well for the Police Department to let go of a fugitive from justice to flee from town to town and allow him to let loose his trail of devastation.”

The Supreme Court makes it clear that had Sri Lankan authorities acted on Indian warnings from April 4 to 20 against the Islamists, the suicide bombings that shook the island nation could have been foiled.

Also read: Sri Lanka: Ex-President told to pay over Rs 300 million over Easter bombings

The judgement goes on to detail the gross failings on the part of the executive and found then President Maithripala Sirisena, then Defence Secretary Hemasiri Fernando, then Inspector General of Police Pujith Jayasundera, then Chief of National Intelligence (CNI) Sisira Mendis and then State Intelligence Service (SIS) Director Nilantha Jayawardena guilty of executive inertia.

A seven-member bench ordered Sirisena to pay Rs 100 million as compensation, Jayasundera and Jayawardene Rs 75 million each, Fernando Rs 50 million and Mendis Rs 10 million.