COLOMBO, Feb. 25 (Xinhua) -- Sri Lanka's Criminal Investigation Department on Wednesday arrested Suresh Sallay, former head of the State Intelligence Service (SIS), in connection with ongoing investigations into the 2019 Easter Sunday terror attacks, a senior police officer said.
Police Spokesman F.U. Wootler told the media that Sallay was arrested under the Prevention of Terrorism Act, which grants police the power to detain and question him for 72 hours.
He said police made the arrest based on clear evidence obtained through the Easter Sunday attack investigations, and that the authorities will brief the public and the media on the future course of action in due course.
The Easter Sunday bombings in April 2019 caused more than 260 deaths and wounded more than 500. Sallay, who was promoted to SIS chief in 2019 after Gotabaya Rajapaksa became president, had been accused of involvement in these attacks. Salley was dismissed by President Anura Kumara Dissanayake in 2024. ■
