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SRILANKA-POLICE-UNREST
Sri Lanka police chief arrested over Easter attacks failures
COLOMBO, July 2, 2019 (BSS/AFP) – Sri Lankan police arrested their top
commander and a former defence chief Tuesday over their alleged failures to
prevent the Easter Sunday bombings that killed 258 people, spokesman Ruwan
Gunasekera said.
He said Inspector-General Pujith Jayasundara and former defence secretary
Hemasiri Fernando were arrested a day after the attorney general said their
failure to heed security warnings amounted to a crime against humanity.
Both men were at different hospitals undergoing treatment when detectives
arrested them, Gunasekera said, adding the move followed instructions from
Attorney General Dappula de Livera who said they could press murder charges.
De Livera said Monday that they failed to act on advance warnings of the
deadly Easter Sunday attacks, which were blamed on a local jihadi group.
They should be brought before a magistrate for their “criminal negligence”
de Livera said in a letter to the acting police chief.
“Their negligence amounts to what is known under international law to be
grave crimes against humanity,” he wrote.
Another nine senior police officers have been named by the attorney-
general as suspects who should be prosecuted for their role in the security
lapses.
Jayasundara and Fernando have testified before a parliamentary inquiry and
accused President Maithripala Sirisena of failing to follow established
protocols in assessing threats to national security.
BSS/AFP/FI/ 1810 hrs