Additional Solicitor General Dileepa Peiris told the Colombo Fort Magistrate’s Court on Wednesday that retired Major General Suresh Salley, the former Director of the State Intelligence Service, acted as “a key driving force” behind the 2019 Easter Sunday terrorist attacks.
The attribution marks the most specific public prosecution statement yet on Salley’s alleged role. Earlier hearings had framed the case around misdirection of investigations; Wednesday’s submission explicitly linked Salley to the planning and execution of the attacks themselves.
Peiris also told Magistrate Isuru Netthikumara that a group operating under Salley’s command had carried out abductions and assaults targeting journalists during the period in question.
“The Easter Sunday attacks could not have been carried out within Sri Lanka without organised support,” the ASG said in open court, according to News 1st.
Salley was produced from detention custody as the third suspect in the broader Easter case. He appeared under tight security provided by the Police Special Task Force, with two co-accused already remanded in connection with the same investigation.
The court also extended the detention order and directed the Criminal Investigation Department to report the progress of its investigation on 20 May. Salley has been held under a 90-day Prevention of Terrorism Act order since his arrest on 25 February.
The criminal case runs in parallel to his Court of Appeal writ petition challenging the legality of the PTA detention. Wednesday’s prosecution submission sharpens the public case framing just days after the seventh anniversary of the Easter Sunday attacks.
Source: NewsFirst
