Former Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa has allegedly received death threats from the Islamic State (ISIS) and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), according to his party’s lawyer, as the government cut down his security detail this month.
Manoj Gamage, Vice President of the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) Lawyers’ Association slammed the Ministry of Public Security for withdrawing the remaining military personnel from Rajapaksa’s security detail as of December 23.
Citing a report submitted by Superintendent of Police M.S.D. Wickramasinghe to the Presidential Security Committee on October 10, 2024, Gamage claimed that intelligence reports warn of a possible drone-based bomb attack by ISIS. He further alleged that threats to the former president’s life also come from the LTTE and underworld groups.
Rajapaksa with his security detail earlier this month.
The decision to replace Rajapaksa’s military security personnel with police officers has sparked outrage among SLPP allies, with Gamage declaring the move “insufficient given the severity of the threats”. He argued that the withdrawal of experienced, armed military personnel leaves Rajapaksa vulnerable, especially in light of the alleged threats outlined in intelligence reports.
This claim comes amidst the broader controversy surrounding Rajapaksa’s reduced security detail, a decision reportedly driven by government efforts to review the security arrangements for former presidents in light of Sri Lanka’s ongoing economic crisis. Despite Rajapaksa’s term in office ending years ago, he had maintained an unusually large security detail until now.
The inclusion of LTTE threats—15 years after the organisation was militarily defeated—and claims of ISIS drone attacks targeting a former Sri Lankan president, come as Sri Lanka remains one of the most militarised countries per capita in the world.
The narrative of security threats has long been used to justify the ongoing militarisation of the Tamil homeland and the oversized security arrangements for Sri Lanka’s former leaders.
Mahinda Rajapaksa’s tenure as president is synonymous with the Mullivaikkal genocide and systemic human rights abuses. Tens of thousands of Tamils were killed under his command.
