Overview
- Retired Major General Suresh Sallay was taken into custody by the Criminal Investigation Department in a Colombo suburb on allegations of conspiracy and aiding and abetting the 2019 attacks.
- Police confirmed he will be held for 72 hours for questioning under the Prevention of Terrorism Act, with investigators examining possible links or lapses tied to the bombings.
- Authorities say the arrest stems from evidence developed after the inquiry was reopened in late 2024 under President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, marking the first high-profile detention in the case under his tenure.
- The April 21, 2019 suicide blasts targeted three churches and three hotels, killing 279 people and injuring more than 500, severely damaging Sri Lanka’s tourism sector.
- Previous inquiries faulted officials for ignoring advance warnings, the Supreme Court fined former President Maithripala Sirisena and others for failures, Channel 4 reported unproven links involving Sallay which he denies, and the UN has urged greater transparency.