Sri Lanka’s criminal investigators have arrested former intelligence chief Major-General Suresh Sallay over his alleged role in the devastating 2019 Easter Sunday bombings, which killed 279 people and injured more than 500, authorities said on February 25, 2026.

Arrest and charges

Police said Sallay was taken into custody at dawn from a suburb of the capital, Colombo. Investigators accuse him of conspiracy and aiding and abetting the coordinated suicide attacks, according to officials speaking to AFP.

Sallay has repeatedly denied the allegations.

Deadly coordinated attacks

The Easter Sunday bombings on April 21, 2019, targeted:

• Three churches filled with Easter worshippers
• Three luxury hotels hosting guests during breakfast

The nearly simultaneous suicide attacks also killed 45 foreign nationals and severely impacted Sri Lanka’s tourism-dependent economy.

Authorities initially blamed a local extremist group, but questions persisted over whether intelligence officials had prior knowledge of the attacks.

Allegations of intelligence links and political motives

A major controversy emerged after a 2023 investigation by Britain’s Channel 4 television network reported that:

• Sallay had allegedly met individuals linked to the attackers
• A whistleblower claimed he allowed the attacks to proceed
• The alleged motive was to influence the 2019 presidential election

Just two days after the bombings, former defence secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa announced his presidential candidacy and later won the election in a landslide, promising stronger national security.

Following Rajapaksa’s victory, Sallay was promoted to head Sri Lanka’s State Intelligence Service (SIS).

Renewed investigations under new government

After President Anura Kumara Dissanayake took office in 2024, he pledged to reopen investigations and hold accountable anyone involved in the attacks.

Sallay was subsequently removed from his intelligence post. His arrest now marks one of the most significant developments in the long-running investigation into one of Sri Lanka’s deadliest terror incidents.