President Anura Kumara Dissanayake yesterday told Parliament that a renewed investigation into the 2019 Easter Sunday terror attacks is now underway, asserting that earlier attempts to uncover the truth were deliberately obstructed when certain political groups assumed power.
Addressing lawmakers, the President said investigators are currently analysing phone records, networks, and other technical data to identify the masterminds behind the attacks. He stressed that evidence must now be re-established in court after years of suppression.
“The Easter Attacks should have been investigated while memories and evidence were still fresh, but the process stalled due to political interference,” he said.
Highlighting the scale of obstruction, the President alleged that key evidence was tampered with or destroyed, citing instances where “pages were torn from books.” Nearly 500 CID officers were reportedly issued travel bans during the previous administration, and several senior investigators were removed, transferred, or even jailed, including former CID Director Shani Abeysekara.
President Dissanayake added that similar patterns of interference had affected other high-profile cases, including the murders of journalist Lasantha Wickrematunge, rugby player Wasim Thajudeen, and cartoonist Prageeth Ekneligoda, where investigations commenced years after the incidents.
Despite these challenges, the President expressed confidence that the current investigative teams would pursue the Easter Attack probe independently and professionally, ensuring that those responsible are brought before the law.
