Former Intelligence Chief Had Full Knowledge of Easter Sunday Plot, Minister Tells Parliament

Explosive Claim Rocks Parliament

Sri Lanka's parliament was shaken by a dramatic revelation this week when a senior government minister alleged that the country's former intelligence chief had prior knowledge of the devastating Easter Sunday bombings of 2019 — and had actively participated in planning them.

The minister made the startling accusation directly on the floor of parliament, charging that the former spy chief was fully aware of the coordinated suicide bomb attacks that killed over 260 people and wounded hundreds more on Easter Sunday, 21 April 2019.

Attacks That Scarred a Nation

The Easter Sunday bombings remain one of the deadliest terrorist attacks in Sri Lanka's modern history. Suicide bombers from the local Islamist extremist group National Thowheed Jamath, with reported links to the Islamic State, simultaneously targeted three luxury hotels and three churches across the country, killing worshippers and tourists alike and plunging the island nation into a prolonged state of fear and grief.

In the years since, questions have persisted over whether Sri Lankan security and intelligence officials received advance warnings about the attacks and failed — or chose not — to act on them. Those unanswered questions have fuelled deep public frustration and a prolonged demand for accountability from victims' families.

Minister's Parliamentary Accusation

The minister's latest allegation elevates those concerns to an entirely new level, suggesting not merely negligence or a failure to share intelligence, but direct complicity at the highest levels of the country's security apparatus. According to the minister, the former intelligence chief was involved in planning the attacks with what was described as "full awareness" of what was to unfold.

The claim has sent shockwaves through political circles in Colombo and reignited public outrage over the handling of the tragedy and its prolonged aftermath.

Calls for Justice Grow Louder

Survivors and families of victims have long maintained that powerful figures within the state shielded those responsible and obstructed genuine accountability. The parliamentary statement is likely to intensify those calls for a transparent and thorough investigation.

Civil society groups and opposition politicians are expected to push for urgent parliamentary scrutiny and legal action in response to the minister's allegations. As of the time of publication, the former intelligence official named in the accusation had not issued a public response.

The government has faced mounting pressure to deliver meaningful justice for the Easter Sunday attacks, with many families expressing frustration that, more than five years on, no senior official has been held fully accountable for one of the darkest days in Sri Lankan history.

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