Sri Lanka arrests ex-spy chief for ‘abetting’ 2019 Easter bombings
Sri Lanka’s criminal investigators arrested the country’s former intelligence chief on Wednesday in connection with the 2019 Easter Sunday bombings that killed 279 people, including 45 foreigners. Police said retired Major General Suresh Sallay was taken into custody at dawn in a suburb of the capital, Colombo in the most high-profile arrest in the long-running investigation. “He was arrested for conspiracy and aiding and abetting the Easter Sunday attacks,” an investigating officer told AFP. “He has been in touch with people involved in the attacks, even recently.” The coordinated bombings targeted three upmarket hotels in the capital, two Roman Catholic churches, and an evangelical Protestant church outside Colombo. The attacks were blamed on a homegrown jihadist group. The Catholic Church, which has spearheaded a campaign demanding justice for all victims of the brutal bombings, welcomed the arrest as a sign the investigation was continuing. “What we need is the truth behind the Easter attacks. We want to see justice for all the victims,” Church spokesman Father Cyril Gamini Fernando told AFP. The Church had previous …

