By Micah Jonah, February 25, 2026
Authorities in Sri Lanka have arrested the country’s former intelligence chief in connection with the 2019 Easter Sunday bombings that killed 279 people and injured hundreds more.
Police said retired Major-General Suresh Sallay was taken into custody early Wednesday at a suburb of the capital, Colombo. Investigators allege he conspired and aided in the coordinated suicide attacks that targeted churches and luxury hotels on April 21, 2019.
An investigating officer told AFP that Sallay was arrested on charges of conspiracy and aiding and abetting the attacks. He has previously denied allegations linking him to the bombings.
The attacks, carried out by suicide bombers, struck three churches during Easter services and three hotels, killing 279 people, including 45 foreign nationals. More than 500 others were injured. The violence dealt a severe blow to Sri Lanka’s tourism-dependent economy.
Sallay was appointed head of the State Intelligence Service after Gotabaya Rajapaksa won the presidency later that year. He was removed from the position after Anura Kumara Dissanayake assumed office in 2024, pledging accountability for those responsible for the attacks.
In 2023, Channel 4 aired a report alleging that Sallay had prior contact with individuals linked to the bombings. A whistleblower claimed the attack was allowed to proceed to influence the 2019 presidential election. Sallay rejected the claims.
Separately, Sri Lanka’s Supreme Court ruled in 2023 that former President Maithripala Sirisena and several senior officials failed to act on intelligence warnings about the impending attack. The court ordered compensation payments to victims’ families.
The United Nations has urged Sri Lankan authorities to release withheld findings from earlier investigations into the bombings as questions continue over possible lapses and accountability.
