Sri Lanka files charges against 25 people in connection with 2019 Easter Sunday bombings

The Sri Lankan president's office announced Wednesday that Sri Lanka has filed 23,270 charges against 25 people in connection with the 269 people killed in Easter Sunday suicide bombings on churches and hotels. Conspire to murder, assisting and abetting, gathering arms and ammunition, and attempted murder are among the allegations brought Tuesday under the country's anti-terror statute. In a statement, the attorney general also asked the chief justice to appoint a special three-member high court bench to hear the cases quickly.

3 churches and 3 hotels were targetted in the 2019 explosions

The six near-simultaneous suicide bomb explosions on April 21, 2019, were blamed on two local Muslim factions that had claimed allegiance to the Islamic State group. Three churches and three hotels were targeted in the explosions. Another suicide bomber, who had entered the fourth hotel but failed to detonate his bomb, eventually committed himself by detonating his explosives in a different area.

The government's failure to act on near-specific foreign intelligence warnings ahead of the attacks was blamed on friction and a communication breakdown between then-President Maithripala Sirisena and then-Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe. As a result, President Gotabaya Rajapaksa was elected on a platform of national security later in 2019. Rajapaksa was a former army commander and defence official who was instrumental in defeating Tamil Tiger rebels and bringing an end to Sri Lanka's 26-year civil war. 

Authorities are attempting to protect the masterminds

Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith, the head of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Colombo, has frequently claimed that the inquiry into the blasts is being conducted improperly. He claims that the real conspirators are still at large and that authorities are attempting to protect the masterminds.

Last month, Ranjith wrote Rajapaksa a strong letter alleging that some members of the state intelligence agencies knew and met with the assailant who did not originally detonate his device, and requesting that the authorities investigate. Ranjith claimed intelligence agents also allegedly had a suspect released from police custody, citing MPs' statements in Parliament. The president's office said Harigupta Rohanadeera, the director of presidential legal affairs, had given a comprehensive response to Ranjith but did not share the letter.

(Inputs from AP News)

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