Sri Lanka arrests former intelligence chief Suresh Sallay over 2019 Easter bombings, reviving victims’ families’ hope for long-delayed justice.
Newsroom (26/02/2026 Gaudium Press ) Families of victims of Sri Lanka’s 2019 Easter Sunday bombings expressed renewed hope for accountability after police arrested a former top intelligence official in connection with the devastating attacks that killed 279 people.
On February 25, the Criminal Investigation Department detained retired Maj. Gen. Suresh Sallay, the former head of the State Intelligence Service, for questioning under the Prevention of Terrorism Act. Sallay, then serving as director of Military Intelligence, was arrested for 72 hours as part of an investigation into the coordinated suicide bombings that struck three churches and four luxury hotels on April 21, 2019. More than 500 people, including dozens of foreign nationals, were injured.
Survivors Demand Truth After Years of Delay
For many survivors and families of the victims, the arrest marks a long-awaited turning point after years of frustration and stalled investigations. “This arrest followed investigations despite many setbacks in the past,” said Father Cyril Gamini Fernando, editor of the Catholic weekly Gnanartha Pradeepaya (Light of Knowledge). “We await the full truth and the masterminds behind these heinous attacks to be revealed soon.”
Father Fernando himself faced scrutiny in 2021 when he was summoned by the Criminal Investigation Department following a complaint by a former intelligence chief who accused him of making defamatory remarks related to the attacks. His experience illustrates the climate of intimidation that long surrounded public calls for transparency.
Allegations of Political Complicity
The arrest comes amid renewed scrutiny of the Easter bombings following 2023 media reports citing whistleblower testimony that suggested possible complicity by senior officials. The reports alleged that certain individuals may have allowed the attacks to occur, aiming to discredit the then-ruling administration ahead of elections and bolster a rival political bloc.
While authorities have not confirmed these claims, media outlets noted Sallay’s close ties to former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, who won the presidency just seven months after the bombings. Rajapaksa succeeded Maithripala Sirisena, the sitting president during the attacks, and his administration was accused of obstructing independent investigations.
Renewed Investigations Under New Government
Investigators are now examining whether Sallay was part of a broader conspiracy or failed to act on credible intelligence that could have averted the attacks. Human rights activist Ruki Fernando called the development “long overdue,” emphasizing that families “have waited years to learn why worshippers and hotel guests were targeted.”
After mass protests forced Rajapaksa to flee the country in 2022 amid an economic crisis, President Anura Kumara Dissanayake’s new government pledged to accelerate investigations. The administration has since appointed a three-judge bench to handle related cases, filing tens of thousands of charges against two dozen suspects.
Families Maintain Cautious Hope
For Pradeepan Regan, who lost his six-year-old daughter in the blast at St. Anthony’s Shrine in Colombo, the news carries profound personal meaning. “If she were alive today, she would be 13,” Regan said. “You cannot suppress the truth for long. Now it’s starting to come out. We want the full truth and justice. Our children did not die in vain.”
More than six years after Sri Lanka’s deadliest peacetime tragedy, families remain cautiously hopeful that Sallay’s arrest may finally open the path to justice and transparency that has long been denied.
- Raju Hasmukh with files from UCA News
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