Cooray involved in LTTE suicide bombing of Jeyaraj Fernandopulle & 3 attempts on Rajapaksa’s life

Former President Rajapaksa’s security team is on increased alert following information that President Maithripala Sirisena is actively trying to get the release of former Police Superintendent Lakshman Cooray who is in custody for allegedly conspiring  in the suicide bombing  of Minister Jeyaraj Fernandopulle in 2008 and for helping the LTTE in three  unsuccessful assassination attempts on former President Rajapaksa.

President Sirisena has already ordered that Lakshman Cooray to be transferred from Boosa camp to Mahara camp.  Cooray’s adoptive father Saranelis Dayawansa is a politician from Polonnoruwa and close associate of President  Sirisena.

A source close to Mr. Rajapaksa said  there is grave concern over the  move because  Cooray who worked in Jaffna had close contacts with suicide bombers and hard core LTTE operatives such as Siddeek and Pirabaran (who conspired the suicide attack on Gen. Fonseka).  He had tried to infiltrate Rajapaksa’s presidential security division but had failed only because a rival had complained to a senior official that Cooray was thoroughly incompetent.

Security is very worried that if released Cooray might once again join hardcore terrorists who want to harm Mahinda Rajapaksa to prevent him from coming to power again,” a Rajapaksa aide said. With large crowds wherever he goes, Rajapaksa’s security is presenting many challenges, he added.

Strangely, in Kurunegala where Rajapaksa is contesting and the Tamil population is only 1.2%, M.K. Shivajilingam a relative of Tiger supremo V. Prabhakaran is challenging the former president.  He will be running as an independent candidate.

Cooray’s case is the first time a high ranking police officer has been charged  for allegedly aiding terrorists.   Information leading to his arrest was provided by  two hardcore LTTE operatives arrested in  Wellawatta on August 6, 2009 who had in their possession two suicide jackets, a micro pistol and several other equipment. One of the two had returned from Malaysia  a few days before the arrest and had Cooray had provided police protection from the Katunayake airport so he could avoid detection at army and police security posts along the way.

The two had revealed that Cooray, who was in charge of Minister Fernandopulle’s security, had received Rs. 20 million from the LTTE to transport a suicide cadre in his official government vehicle to Gampaha and for providing other assistance in planning the minister’s assassination.  Investigators discovered that Cooray owned 15 vehicles at the time of his arrest, some of them registered under false names.

Cooray also provided intelligence to Tiger cadres who were on suicide missions in Colombo giving detailed information about the movement of President Rajapaksa and top politicians, including Mr. Sirisena who was a cabinet minister at that time. However, it was Sirisena himself who had helped Cooray get appointed as a Superintendant of Police (SP).  Cooray being married at the time did not meet the basic requirement that applicants be unmarried.  When his claim of having the minimum educational requirement of a bachelor’s degree (BA/BSC) for the post of SP were found to be false, he had managed to avoid being dismissed from the police force thanks to Mr. Sirisena’s intervention.

Cooray’s statements to police after his arrest led  to the recovery of a powerful 15 kilo claymore mine buried in a play ground in Badulla, where the President Rajapaksa’s helicopter was to land and another bomb weighing five kilos on the Mahiyangana-Badulla road, where the President’s vehicle convoy was to pass.

Highways Minister Jeyaraj Fernandopulle was attending a function celebrating the Sinhala and Tamil New Year at the Kanthi playground in the town of Weliveriya, in the Gampaha District when he along with 14 others were blown up by the LTTE suicide bomber.

Cooray and two other LTTE cadres arrested along with him have been indicted on 31 counts for planning and carrying out the assassination.   He has pleaded not guilty to the charges and awaits trial.  In addition to his adoptive father, the LTTE’s international lobby and Amnesty International have been trying to get Cooray released despite the seriousness of  the criminal charges against him.

With the help of Eelam supporters, Cooray had purchased a house in England and was planning to flee Sri Lanka at the time he was arrested in 2009.