By Shanika Sriyananda

A top military official in the Eastern Command has said that the wife and a daughter of the mastermind of the Easter Sunday bombings Zahran Hashim are believed to be injured at the shootout and suicide blasts at the safe house in Sainthamaruthu in Ampara, on Friday.

Fifteen people, including six children and three women were found dead during the attack that erupted at a house in the tsunami housing scheme called ‘Bolivia Village’ which has 400 houses.

“She has identified herself as the wife of Zahran and the little girl as his daughter when she was taken into the theatre for the operation on her leg,” 24 Division Commander Maj. Gen. Mahinda Mudalige said, adding that this claim needs to be verified.

He said that his troops had found the mother and the daughter when the troops were searching the safe house, last Saturday morning.

Maj. Gen. Mudalige, who declined to name the hospital where they are being treated, said she was a well-built female and was found inside the house with a leg injury and the little girl with burn injuries on the face and the body.

Meanwhile, the sister of Zahran, Mohamed Hashim Mathaniya, had confirmed Reuters that his wife and daughter were injured in the attack and she was asked to come to identify them.

“I was asked to come to identify them but I am not sure I can go,” Mathaniya, who lives in Kattankudy, had told Reuters. Last week, President Maithripala Sirisena had confirmed that Zahran Hashim, had died in the attack at the Shangri-La hotel, where he blew himself on the Easter Sunday.   

Maj. Gen. Mudalige said that on a tip-off given by villagers, troops had found a cache of explosives and other items from a garage that turned into a ‘mini factory’ to make bombs at a house from Sammanthurai.

They recovered over 150 gelignite sticks, a large stock of steel pellets, a drone, an IS uniform and the backdrop that the IS terror group, including Zahran in their black uniform, used in the picture. “The owner of the house, pretending that he was unaware of these stocks in his premises said they might have brought in by his daughter’s boyfriend last Thursday,” he said. Troops of 24 Division, together with Police had also recovered another explosive dump and a van similar to the explosive-laden van parked near the St. Anthony’s Church Kochchikade from a house in Nintavur, which is eight kilometres off Sammanthurai. The residents had fled the house in the afternoon before the troops entered the areas.

“Again, on the same day afternoon we got information about an armed person at the tsunami housing scheme. When we surrounded the area he started shooting at us. When the fire fight was continuing, they started blasting the bombs,” Maj. Gen. Mudalige said, adding that the man continued to shoot till 10.30 pm.

Troops found the two bodies of the suicide cadres and the gunner inside the premises and evacuated people in the housing scheme to clear the area.

Apart from troops of 24 division and Police, additional troops and soldiers of the Special Forces were called in to control the attack.

“The bodies of children and women were charred due to the explosions and we suspect that they belong to one family,” he said.

Meanwhile, Maj. Gen. Mudalige said that there is information that Zahran’s brother and father had made a statement claiming that their all attacks were successful and they would attack again and fled the house a few hours before the troops commenced the search operation in Sainthamaruthu.

He said security has been strengthened in the area, with new checkpoints being set up and search operations continuing to arrest the suspects.

Father, two brothers of suspected bombings mastermind killed in gun battle