Sri Lanka: Timeline (Terrorist Activities) -2023

The Kalutara South Police arrested two persons for transporting more than 10 kilograms of ammonium nitrate without permits on January 5, reports Colombo Page. The raid was carried out on information received by the Panadura Division Criminal Investigation Division officials that a consignment of explosives was being transported. During the raid, a three-wheeler was seized near the expressway bridge in the Ukwatta area of Kalutara South police division and the police seized 10 kilograms and 380 grams of ammonium nitrate being transported in the vehicle. Read less...

A Sri Lankan gemstone company that was key to sanctioned terrorist facilitator Ahmed Luqman Talib’s revenue generation in support of Al-Qaeda, continued doing business even after Talib was sanctioned and arrested by Australian Police in 2021, reports Colombo Gazette on January 10. An elite research and data analytics company, Kharon, stated that the trading company shared an address in the south-west coast of Sri Lanka with Mohammed Haris Nizar, who was one of Talib’s relatives and business partners most recently sanctioned by the United States government on November 9, 2022. The international trail of Talib’s Al-Qaeda facilitation network extended into South America. Al-Qaeda facilitator Ahmed Talib was also a managing partner of the Brazil-based company Ottoman Trade Caravan Importacao e Exportacao Ltda. in 2020, Kharon also stated. Read less...

The Koppay Police excavated a private land in Kokuvil in Jaffna District in the Northern Province, after they received a warning that weapons belonging to the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) were buried in that place, reports The Tamil Guardian on January 10. The Police obtained permission from Jaffna Magistrate Court to carry out the excavations. Despite excavating four different sites, no weapons were recovered. Read less...

The Supreme Court on January 12, ordered former President Maithripala Sirisena to pay a compensation amount of SLR 100 million as damages to the victims of Easter Sunday attacks, reports Daily Mirror. Former Inspector General of Police (IGP) Pujith Jayasundara and former State Intelligence Service (SIS) Director Nilantha Jayawardhane were ordered to pay SLR 75 million each as compensation. Former Defence Secretary Hemasiri Fernando was ordered to pay SLR 50 million and former Chief National Intelligence Sisira Mendis was ordered to pay SLR 10 million. The Supreme Court pronounced this judgement while announcing the decision on 12 petitions filed by the victims claiming that their basic human rights were violated by not taking steps to prevent the Easter attack despite receiving the intelligence information prior to the attack. Read less...

A claymore bomb, which was hidden under a banana bush at Welikanda in Ahungalla, Galle District in Southern Province, was been recovered by the Police on January 13, reports Daily Mirror. The bomb was recovered according to the information received by Tangalle Headquarters Inspector (HQI) in Hambantota District, Southern Province. Police suspected that the bomb belonged to an individual in Bentota in Galle who is currently overseas and had also revealed that the suspect is a close associate of an organized criminal Kosgoda Suji. No arrest has been made so far with regard to the case. Read less...

The United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) called on Sri Lanka to establish a follow-up independent investigation into the Easter Sunday attacks in April 2019, with international assistance and stated that Sri Lanka must also fully compensate victims of the Easter Sunday attacks, The Colombo Gazette reports on January 18. The UNHRC reiterated its recommendations to the Government of Sri Lanka to release the complete findings of previous inquiries into the Easter Sunday bombings and to establish a follow-up independent, thorough and transparent investigation with international assistance and the full participation of victims and their representatives and to hold all those responsible fully to account. Earlier on January 12, the Supreme Court ordered the former President Maithripala Sirisena and three other senior officials to compensate the families of the victims because they had failed to prevent the tragedy despite receiving prior information. Read less...

Three pressure bombs were found at the Sri Lanka Telecom premises in Muttur in Trincomalee District by a worker there on January 25, reports Daily News. The bombs were found inside a decayed fertilizer bag. The Special Task Force defused the bombs. Read less...