Sri Lanka Easter Sunday Bombings: Sri Lanka court convicts 15 men over 2019 Easter Sunday bombings

Seven years on, Sri Lankan court delivers verdict in Easter Sunday bombings case (Picture credit: AP)

A Sri Lankan court on Tuesday found 15 men guilty of involvement in the 2019 Easter Sunday bombings that killed more than 260 people and wounded about 500.The coordinated attacks targeted three churches and three hotels across the island nation during Easter services and celebrations.The Islamic State-inspired bombings were among the deadliest attacks in Sri Lanka’s history. Forty-two foreigners were among those killed, according to the news agency Associated Press.The verdict comes more than seven years after the April 21, 2019 attacks, as separate investigations into the circumstances surrounding the bombings continue.

15 convicted, nine acquitted

The high court convicted 15 men who had been charged with plotting the attacks, while nine others were acquitted. The accused faced more than 23,000 charges, including murder, conspiracy to commit terrorism and offences involving firearms and explosives.Prosecutors said Naufer Moulavi, one of those convicted, masterminded the suicide bombings, the BBC reported.More than 2,300 people gave evidence for the prosecution, while investigators presented 2,076 pieces of evidence, including explosives, swords and firearms.None of the people believed to have directly carried out the bombings survived. The coordinated blasts at three churches and three hotels were attributed to two Sri Lanka-based Islamic militant groups.

Death sentences and earlier convictions

Authorities filed 23,270 charges against 24 suspects in 2021 over allegations that they planned or inspired the attacks.The charges were brought under the Prevention of Terrorism Act and included murder, conspiracy to commit terrorism, and firearms and explosives offences.Sri Lanka has not carried out an execution since 1976. As a result, death sentences are typically followed by life imprisonment.In July, a former police chief and a former senior defence ministry official were sentenced to death for failing to act promptly on foreign intelligence warnings about possible attacks.The two former senior officials were sentenced for criminal negligence linked to the bombings.

Questions over intelligence failures

The attacks prompted questions over security and intelligence failures. Sri Lankan authorities identified a major intelligence lapse, while parliament heard that a warning from India about possible attacks had not been properly shared with the authorities.In 2023, Sri Lanka’s Supreme Court ordered former president Maithripala Sirisena to pay compensation to victims after finding him responsible for national security failures that contributed to the attacks.Sri Lanka’s Catholic Church has also alleged, without providing evidence, that those identified as perpetrators were not the masterminds and that a wider conspiracy was behind the attacks, according to AP.

Separate investigation into former intelligence chief

A separate investigation involving former intelligence chief Suresh Sallay is also underway.Sallay is accused of orchestrating the bombings with Islamist extremists and denies the allegations.The claims echo allegations aired in a 2023 Channel 4 documentary, which included whistleblower testimony alleging that the attacks were allowed to happen to boost the popularity of the Rajapaksa family, which had long dominated Sri Lankan politics.Former president Gotabaya Rajapaksa, who was elected months after the attacks after campaigning on tackling Islamist extremism, has denied the allegations.He has been banned from leaving the country and has asked a court to prevent his potential arrest in connection with the ongoing investigation.For years, Sri Lankans have held demonstrations demanding justice for those killed and injured in the Easter Sunday attacks.