Col R Hariharan
Sri Lanka Perspectives
February 2026 | South Asia Security Trends, March 2026 |https://www.security-risks.com
Will the arrest of Sri Lanka’s
former intelligence chief Major General Suresh Salley in the last week of the
month, in connection with the 2019 Easter Sunday terror attacks that killed
nearly 270 people, bring to a closure of cases pending for the last
seven years? I am not too sure because Gen Salley’s arrest is under the
Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA), with investigators claiming there is
“adequate evidence” linking him to the bombings.
When I look at the loose ends
left in the Easter Sunday attack cases for the last seven years, I cannot help
quoting Winston Churchill who said “Now this is not the end. It is not even the
beginning of the end. But it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning.” He was
referring to the November 1942 Allied victory at the Second Battle of El
Alamein, a turning point in the North African campaign of World War II. The
phrase reflected his cautious optimism of when the tide was beginning to turn,
but the war was far from over. Hopefully, the long overdue arrest of Gen Salley
is the beginning of the process of bringing long overdue cases to
a closure.
Comparison with India’s 26/11
attacks
I cannot help comparing the
follow-up actions taken after the 26/11 Mumbai attacks by India (2008) and the
Easter Sunday attacks by Sri Lanka (2019). There are similarities between both
cases. Both were carried out by Jihadi terrorists. Intelligence failure
featured as the common cause of both the terrorist attacks.
In India’s case there was a
lack of cohesive assessment mechanism, despite various intelligence agencies
providing the police with bits and pieces of information. In Sri Lanka’s case
it was much worse; Indian intelligence had provided the details of the impending
attack, well in advance as well as on the day of the attack.
These included date, time, target and persons involved in the attacks.
After the attacks took place
India’s response was institutional and outward-facing, focusing on
strengthening counter-terrorism capacity and isolating Pakistan diplomatically.
In Sri Lanka’s case the response was internal and accountability-driven, with delayed
high-profile arrests of intelligence officials, reflecting political
entanglements and contested narratives.
India’s actions
Following the 26/11
Mumbai attacks in 2008, several high-level inquiries and investigations
were ordered at both the state and national levels to identify security lapses
and prosecute the perpetrators. The Government of Maharashtra appointed
a two-member High-Level Enquiry Committee (HLEC), commonly known as
the Pradhan Committee, a month after the attack. Its objective was to
investigate the response of the Mumbai Police, identify lapses in acting on
intelligence, and suggest measures to prevent future attacks. It found
leadership failure of the police commissioner as well as systemic lapses like
mechanical forwarding of intelligence reports without proper analysis. It also
noted that coastal security was neglected.
A year later, India created
the National Investigation Agency (NIA) as the country’s first federal agency
for investigating and prosecuting terrorism related cases. The Maharashtra
government created Force One, an elite specialized counter-terrorism unit
modelled after the National Security Guard (NSG).
The Mumbai Police Crime Branch
conducted the primary investigation into the attacks, leading to an 11,280-page
chargesheet and the successful prosecution and execution of the
terrorist Ajmal Kasab, who was caught. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)
sent a rapid deployment team to Mumbai on November 29, 2008, to assist Indian
authorities and investigate the deaths of six American citizens.
The NIA conducted a week-long
interrogation of Pakistani-American David Coleman Headley in Chicago
in 2010 after his arrest by the FBI. This investigation provided critical
evidence of the involvement of Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and individual
officers from Pakistan's ISI.
After the 26/11 attacks,
Pakistan came under international pressure and its Federal Investigation
Agency (FIA) launched its own probe. It led to the arrest of seven
individuals, including LeT operational chief Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi. However,
this investigation eventually stalled due to frequent changes in judges and
legal delays.
To put in a nutshell, India
created the National Investigation Agency (NIA) in 2009 to improve coordination
and assessment of information received from various agencies. India
strengthened coastal security and marine policing and streamlined the
deployment of NSG hubs in major cities.
The aftermath of the 26/11
attack is still lingering among Indian administrators. After the attacks, Home
Minister P Chidambaram wanted to create the National Counter Terrorism Centre
(NCTC) modelled after the US NCTC. It was to be the apex body under the
Intelligence Bureau (IB) with powers to search, seize, and arrest across India.
However, the concept was shelved after several chief ministers of states
opposed it as they considered it a violation of federal structure.
However, the concept has been
revived by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) with the adoption of PRAHAAR –
Policy for Response Against Hostile Activities and Radicalism – as India’s
first comprehensive national counter terrorism policy unveiled on February 23,
2026.
Sri Lanka’s actions after the
attacks
Sri Lanka took three actions
in the wake of Easter Sunday attacks. It increased the military presence,
arrested suspects linked to National Thowheeth Jama’ath (NTJ) and banned
extremist groups. Zahran Hashim radical preacher who led the suicide squad died
in the explosion at the Shangri-La Hotel during the 2019 attacks.
Scotland Yard and the FBI were
involved in the follow-up investigations of the Easter Sunday terror attacks.
Their contributions yielded several worthwhile results, especially in forensic
analysis, network mapping and uncovering ideological links.
The FBI’s 72-page affidavit
filed in the U.S. District Court in Dec 2020 offered a detailed forensic
account of the attacks, including bomb composition and digital communications.
The FBI traced ideological and operational links between the attackers and
transnational ISIS extremist networks. It helped recover deleted communications
and encrypted data from the devices used by bombers and their handlers. The FBI
affidavit became a key document in international legal cooperation and
intelligence sharing.
Scotland Yard helped Sri Lanka
police structure the investigation and advised on securing digital evidence.
They also assisted in identifying the chemical composition of the bombs (urea
nitrate-based), linking them to known jihadist methods. Scotland Yard also
provided strategic guidance on profiling extremist cells and understanding
radicalization pathways in South Asia.
The prosecution process has
been marked by several distinct phases and delays. Criminal prosecution of the
main trial against 25 men, including alleged mastermind Mohamed Naufar
with ISIS links, started in November 2021. Prosecutors filed more
than 23,000 charges against these suspects, involving over 1,200
witnesses. Although indictments were served in October 2021, the trial faced
several postponements due to the massive number of charges. There were also
“practical issues” like lack of Tamil-speaking lawyers and translated
documents. So the case that began in 2021 is still going on.
Former National Police Chief
Pujith Jayasundara and former Defence Secretary Hemasiri Fernando were tried in
separate ‘trial at bar’ proceedings. Both officials were acquitted on February
18, 2022, after the court found insufficient evidence to convict them.
In January 2023, Sri Lanka's
Supreme Court found former President Maithripala Sirisena and four
other top officials negligent handling of information led to the attacks. The
court ordered them to pay approximately Rs 310 million (roughly $1
million) in compensation to the victims' families in civil action.
Developments after 2024
President Anura Kumara
Dissanayake in late 2024 ordered the launch of a fresh investigation to
identify "masterminds" and potential political links to the master
minds. While there have been no high-profile convictions of
"masterminds" for the Easter Sunday attacks, there have been
significant new prosecutions and arrests targeting high-level state
and paramilitary figures previously accused of being "architects" of
the bombings.
That includes not only
Gen Salley but also Sivanesathurai Chandrakanthan (alias "Pillayan")
arrested on April 8, 2025. Though initially detained on other charges, the
government informed Parliament that new evidence links Pillayan's paramilitary
network directly to the 2019 attacks, specifically in recruiting and supporting
the bombers. Similarly, Lt Gen Hendavitharana, former
Head of Military Intelligence, is being investigated for alleged strategic
oversight and suspicious communications around the time of the attacks.
Salley is alleged to have
aided and conspired in the Easter Sunday attacks. Do the investigators have any
evidence against him beyond the claim of a whistleblower of Salley's involvement with
a local Islamist group in a 2023 Channel 4 documentary?
The allegations against Salley
centre around his close relation with Gotabaya Rajapaksa. It is alleged Salley
wanted to stoke Islamists to cause insecurity and create conditions favourable
for Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s presidential campaign.
India brought visible judicial
closure with the execution of terrorist Kasab, and took constructive action to
improve the system. Sri Lanka’s politically oriented process has interfered
with the investigative process. This has skewed its systemic process affecting
the handling of terror attacks. Will the arrest of Salley lead to final
closure? One can only hope President Dissanayake is able to bring the Easter
Sunday attack cases to a closure and punish the actual criminals.
[Col R Hariharan VSM, a
retired MI specialist on South Asia and terrorism, served as the head of
intelligence of the Indian Peace Keeping Force in Sri Lanka 1987-90. He is
associated with the Chennai Centre for China Studies. Website: https://.col.hariharan@net Email: haridirect@gmail.com,]
