Navy yet to confirm reports of IS members fleeing SL in boats

• Puts fleet units on high alert
• Wellampitiya copper factory investigation handed over to TID, workers on bail to report to TID
• Army says 39 suspects arrested and handed over to Police 
• 154 passports found during search operations

Sri Lanka Navy yesterday said they are yet to get confirmation from the Indian Government on the claim that 15 Islamic State (IS) terrorists had fled to Kerala from Sri Lanka, which was reported by Indian media on Sunday.

NDTV had reported on Sunday that 15 IS terrorists had fled Sri Lanka and arrived at the Lakshadweep island by boats. The channel had reported that the Kerala coast had been put on high alert following the reports. Speaking at a media briefing held at the Ministry of Defence, Navy Spokesman Lt. Commander Isuru Suriyabandara said the Navy had put its fleet units on high alert.

“We have passed this information on to all our fleet units, ordering them to be vigilant of any suspicious boat or vessel spotted on the high seas,” he said. Suriyabandara said the Navy had launched special surveillance missions around the country following the Easter Sunday attacks. 

Speaking at the news briefing, Police Spokesman SP Ruwan Gunasekara said investigations of nine employees of a Wellampitiya copper factory, who were released on bail, had been handed over to the Terrorist Investigation Division (TID).

He said Police had reported to the Colombo Magistrate Court accordingly, and the Magistrate had ordered the copper factory workers to report to the TID. Meanwhile, the Court ordered yesterday to further remand the copper factory workers until 10 June.

The Army yesterday said 39 suspects were apprehended and handed over to the nearest police station for further investigations during search operations carried out on Sunday and Monday. 

During the search operations carried out in several parts of the country, the Army had recovered a haul of suspicious items including 154 passports, seven shotgun cartridges, five empty shotgun cartridges, one weapon binocular, three Army uniforms, two swords, 20 kg of magnesium sulphate, 64 National Identity Cards, one combat uniform, 135 CDs with NTJ literature, four suspicious three-wheelers with forged number plates, four motor bicycles, and four satellite phones. (NS)