More than 700 suspects under arrest over Easter attacks – Police

Police Spokesperson DIG Ajith Rohana on Saturday (April 24) stated that 702 suspects in total are under arrest over the 2019 Easter Sunday bomb attacks.

Explaining the progress of the investigations, DIG Rohana said 202 of them are currently in remand custody while 83 others were detained by the CID and the Terrorism Investigation Division (TID) for interrogations.

Among the arrestees are Zahran Hashim’s wife Abdul Carder Fatima Saadiah, his father-in-law and the father of two suicide bombers Mohamed Ibrahim, he added.

A total of 697 suspects had already been in custody prior to the arrest of Zahran Hashim’s father-in-law, MP Rishad Bathiudeen and his brother Riyaj Bathiudeen, the police spokesperson stated.

Three suspects including the father-in-law were arrested from Kuliyapitiya area on Thursday (April 22).

Meanwhile, the Bathiudeen brothers were apprehended in the early hours of this morning based on the evidence uncovered during investigations, DIG Rohana added.

Rishad and Riyaj Bathiudeen, arrested on charges of aiding and abetting the suicide bombers who carried through the attacks, are being interrogated by the TID under a 72-hour detention order obtained pursuant to Article 6(1) of the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA).

If required, a subsequent detention order will be obtained pursuant to Article 9(1) of the PTA which allows the suspects to be detained for a period not exceeding three months in the first instance, the police spokesperson explained.

Speaking further, he said the investigators have also been looking into the individuals who attended the lectures on extremist ideologies conducted by Zahran Hashim and his followers in several areas across country including Kalmunai, Akkaraipattu, Oluvil, Muttur and Hambantota. Nearly 80 such individuals have been arrested by the investigators.

DIG Rohana noted that the probes were also carried out into the other events that led up to the 2019 Easter Sunday bombings.