Sri Lankan authorities have arrested five men who were deported from Saudi Arabia earlier today on suspicion of terrorism, including a man reported to have been behind the murder of two policemen in Batticaloa last year.
“These are the five remaining leaders of the April 21 terrorist group,” police spokesman Ruwan Gunasekera told reporters, referring to the Easter Sunday attacks that killed more than 250 people.
Amongst those arrested was a man identified as Hayathu Mohamed Ahmed Milhan, who Sri Lankan police claim was a senior member of the National Thawheedh Jamaath (NTJ), the group behind the Easter Sunday attacks.
“He could have been the next leader,” Gunasekera said.
Gunasekera added that Milhan is the main suspect in the murder of two policemen in Batticaloa last year. Sri Lankan authorities had blamed the murder on former LTTE cadres, and arrested several Tamils over the incident.
Cabinet spokesperson Rajitha Senaratne said earlier this year that at least four army officers were involved in organising the assassination of the police officers, and claimed dozens of NTJ were on the payroll of Sri Lankan intelligence linked to Rajapaksa.
Gunasekera also said a total of 102 suspects are now being held in connection with the Easter attacks, though Reuters reports that authorities have arrested more than 2,000 people in connection with the attacks, and 634 remain in detention.
We need your support
Sri Lanka is one of the most dangerous places in the world to be a journalist. Tamil journalists are particularly at threat, with at least 41 media workers known to have been killed by the Sri Lankan state or its paramilitaries during and after the armed conflict.
Despite the risks, our team on the ground remain committed to providing detailed and accurate reporting of developments in the Tamil homeland, across the island and around the world, as well as providing expert analysis and insight from the Tamil point of view
We need your support in keeping our journalism going. Support our work today.
For more ways to donate visit https://donate.tamilguardian.com.
