Easter bombers planned second attack: Police

• Bombers attempted to mislead intelligence agencies by staging split in group 
• Defends arrest of lawyer, says CID has grounds for detainment 
• Police alleged suspects who were arrested recently had established organisations together with bombers
• Says sought to radicalise youth by preaching different interpretation of Islam
• Alleges suspects were prepared to provide safe haven to international terrorist group 

A second attack was planned by the perpetrators of the Easter Sunday bombings, the Police said yesterday, giving a rare update on their year-long investigation. 

The Police said that information of the planned second attack was revealed by the ongoing investigations into the bombings by the Criminal Investigation Department (CID), said Police Spokesman SP Jaliya Senaratne, addressing a press conference at the Information Department last afternoon.

According to Senaratne, several persons involved were arrested recently. The Spokesman stated that the group, led by Zahran Hashim, had pretended to have split into two in order to mislead intelligence agencies.

“According to ongoing investigations, it has been revealed that these suspects who were arrested (recently) have worked with certain organisations in order to preach Muslim extremism, misleading youth by giving them a wrong interpretation of Islam,” he said.

SP Senaratne also denied allegations that a lawyer who was recently arrested was acting in his professional capacity, alleging that the lawyer had acted illegally.

“We saw a lot of criticism directed at the CID for arresting the lawyer. I must stress that the CID does not arrest people in an irresponsible manner. This was a heinous crime; hundreds of people lost their lives, many more were injured. Even today, some of those who survived live with the aid of medical equipment. Therefore enforcing the law strictly against those who were involved in such a crime is the core duty of the Police,” he said. 

SP Senaratne argued that a telephone conversation between the lawyer and a client did not form the basis of his arrest, pointing out that the CID had amassed adequate evidence from investigations, including telecommunication location analysis and by linking the suspect with technical and other evidence to the crime. 

“The CID does not simply arrest anyone based on one phone call or complaint, therefore we reject this criticism,” he stressed. He stated that the CID had found evidence that the suspects had worked with some of the bombers to establish certain organisations. “Among the suspects arrested are those who provided funding for these organisations and provided leadership for them,” he added, pointing out that investigations were continuing. 

The Police Spokesman also said that investigations have found the suspects and others who closely associated with them in the said ‘organisations’ had been in touch with radicalised elements overseas and had planned to provide them with safehouses in Sri Lanka in a post-attack scenario. 

The Spokesman declined to comment further on the evidence gathered against the suspects at this stage due to ongoing investigations. However, the lawyer who was arrested recently, had been questioned by the Police after the Easter Sunday Bombings, SP Senaratne said in response to a question.