Sri Lankan News

Person arrested with 25 CDs containing information on ISIS

Courtesy Adaderana

Twenty-five CDs of which the content was on Islamic State (IS) have been seized in Kantale area yesterday (29).

The haul was recovered while in possession of a person feigning as a businessman.

The seizure took place during a raid carried out in Per Aru village, in which six other suspects were also taken into custody.

Three swords have also been seized from a household in the same area.

Meanwhile, the Jamia Manarul Huda Arabic College was searched by the security forces.

Accordingly, several mobile phones, burqas and books containing the activities of the LTTE organization were recovered from the school.

A symbol with two swords painted on a school’s wall was also observed.

SLTJ’s posters for seminars targetting O/L students found in Kaduruwela

Courtesy Adaderana

An individual has been arrested in Kaduruwela town along with a poster published by the Sri Lanka Thawheed Jama’ath (SLTJ) in 2018.

The poster was published for a seminar conducted by the SLTJ for Ordinary Level students, the police said.

Meanwhile, three persons employed at private companies in the same area, who were unable to prove their identities.

High-sensitivity device recovered from house in Kaleliya

Courtesy Adaderana

A suspicious three-wheeler has been seized while its driver and two passengers, a woman and a child, were taken into custody in a search operation carried out by the police.

Upon searching the three-wheeler at a roadblock in Veyangoda, the police had recovered a passport that did not belong to either of the individuals who were inside the vehicle at the time.

Further questioning revealed that the passport belongs to a person involved in distributing swords.

Accordingly, the police also managed to apprehend the owner of the passport.

Interrogations into the suspects led the police to search a house in Kaleliya owned by the sister of the driver of the three-wheeler, where a high-sensitivity device, to which 8 SIM cards can be inserted, was found.

Motorbike used in Batticaloa church attack found

Courtesy Adaderana

The police have discovered one of the motorbikes used in the attack at the Zion Church in Batticaloa in Thihariya.

Based on a tip-off received by the intelligence unit of Gampaha SSP Office, Nittambuwa Special Police Unit has carried out a special operation.

Accordingly, the officers have found the bike in a house in Thihariya, last evening (28).

The number plates of the bike were also found in pieces inside a freezer at the house, stated the Police.

CID & TID question 59 arrested over Easter attacks

Courtesy Adaderana

Forty-four suspects out of the total, who were arrested in connection with the Easter Sunday terror attacks, are currently being interrogated by the Criminal Investigation Department (CID), says the Police Media Spokesperson SP Ruwan Gunasekara.

Speaking to media this evening (29), SP Gunasekara said, seven of the suspects held in custody of the CID are women.

Meanwhile, fifteen suspects including 2 women are being interrogated by the Terrorism Investigation Division (TID).

Seven out of these fifteen suspects were held by the Army on suspicion for having links to the Easter Sunday terror attacks, while the other 8 suspects were arrested for involving in terrorist activities.

Fathima Latifa, one of five suspects wanted by the police for the terror attacks on churches and hotels, was arrested by the CID in Mawanella area recently. She was identified as the wife of Mohamed Yuhaim Sadiq Haq, who was arrested by the CID yesterday (28).

The identity of the woman, who sustained injuries in the extremist militants’ explosion at their safe house at Sainthamaruthu in Kalmunai and was later identified as the wife of Zahran Hashim, has been confirmed by the police as Abdul Kader Fathima Kadiya. She was also included in the list of wanted suspects.

The investigating officers suspect that the other two wanted suspects, Pulasthini Rajendran alias Sara and Mohamed Kasim Mohamed Rilwan, to have died in the explosion at Sainthamaruthu. 

Residents in the area have rendered massive support to the security personnel and the investigators to uncover more information concerning the suspects, the Police Media Spokesperson further said.

Suspected NTJ intelligence member detained for 72 hours

Courtesy The Daily Mirror

A suspected member of the proscribed National Tawheed Jamaat (NTJ) movement was detained by Keselwatta Police in Colombo for 72 hours for further questioning in a bid to ascertain whether he has any link with the banned outfit.

On information provided by the public, the Western Province Intelligence Division of the police had arrested the suspect, Mohamed Farook Mohamed Fawaz, at Keselwatta.

Following the arrest, the police had recovered some literature and visuals of the vehicles alleged to have been used in the Easter Sunday mission.

The police told Colombo Chief Magistrate Lanka Jayaratne that the suspect was an expert in handling electronic devices and that he could have been used by the terrorist movement when making explosive devices.

When questioned by the magistrate, the suspect said he was a resident of Keselwatta for the past nine years.(T. Farook Thajudeen)

An accomplice of Zahran arrested in Medawachchiya

Courtesy The Daily Mirror

An accomplice of National Thowheed Jamath’s leader Zahran Hashim was arrested at Rambewa in Medawachchiya on Sunday, police said.

Identified as Abdul Latif Mohamed Sathy, the 46-year-old electrician had allegedly been involved in the affairs of the group from its inception in Kattankudy.

He was arrested by the STF of Mihintale on information received by a police officer.

The suspect is employed as an electrician of a Chinese company handling a construction project in Colombo.

It was revealed that he had returned to Rambewa to visit his wife and children following the suicide bomb attacks on Easter Sunday.

After interrogations, the suspect was to be produced before the Anuradhapura Magistrate. (Athula Bandara)