SRI LANKA: Minister reveals officials held back intelligence on attacks over suicide bombings

The minister of public enterprise on Wednesday said that senior officials deliberately withheld intelligence about possible attacks on Sri Lanka, where series of suicide bombings on Easter Sunday killed at least 359 people.

“Some top intelligence officials hid the intelligence information purposefully. Information was there, but the top brass security officials did not take appropriate actions,” Lakshman Kiriella, told parliament.

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He revealed that details on probable suicide attacks on churches, hotels and politicians were received from Indian intelligence on April 4 and a Security Council meeting was led by President Maithripala Sirisena on April 7, but the information was not shared on a larger scale.

“Somebody is controlling these top intelligence officials,” the minister said. “The Security Council is doing politics. We need to investigate into this.”

Also, Sarath Fonseka, former army chief and minister of regional development, told parliament he believed the attacks must have been premeditated for at least seven to eight years.

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