Defence Min. Secy. confident Govt. will hold Easter Sunday attack culprits accountable

• Says no space for any group or individual to spread extremism
• Pledges to bring justice to victims by punishing culprits irrespective of social status, political affiliations, ethnicity, or religion

 

The Government will bring all culprits who planned, financed, and supported the Easter Sunday attacks that killed an estimated 270 people and wounded over 500 others to face justice soon, Defence Ministry Secretary Maj. Gen. (Rtd.) Kamal Gunaratne said yesterday.

Issuing a statement on the first anniversary of the coordinated bomb blasts carried out by a local extremist group, which blew up three Christian churches and three hotels in Colombo, he said there would not be any space for any group or individual to spread extremism in the country.

“We will bring all those who were involved in those bomb blasts, irrespective of their social status, political affiliations, ethnicity, or religion, to book,” Maj. Gen. Gunaratne said, referring to the ongoing investigations into the Easter Sunday attacks. He said that under the leadership of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, who had pledged to give the topmost priority to national security, the country’s people were protected from terrorism and extremism. “We will not let our people die or suffer in such unfortunate incidents. We have taken all precautionary measures to identify such acts of terrorism or extremism at their early stages and taken all necessary actions to bring those responsible before the law,” the Defence Ministry Secretary said.

Highlighting the importance of public support and contribution of the intelligence agencies in curbing extremism, he said under the directives of the President, the intelligence agencies had been strengthened under a system that brought all intelligence agencies in the country under one umbrella.

“The Government will ensure justice for the people affected, including the children, who died and are living with trauma, by punishing the culprits and also strengthening national security,” he said. Maj. Gen. Gunaratne said that according to an assessment done by the Presidential Secretariat and the Defence Ministry, the Easter Sunday bomb blasts occurred last year mainly due to negligence in maintaining national security.