Sri Lanka Court Convicts 15 in Deadly 2019 Easter Bombings
Fifteen men have been found guilty of plotting coordinated attacks on churches and hotels that killed 270 people, including 45 foreigners.
A High Court in Sri Lanka has convicted 15 men in connection with the 2019 Easter Sunday bombings, a series of coordinated attacks that resulted in the deaths of 270 people and injured over 500. Naufer Moulavi, identified by prosecutors as the mastermind behind the suicide bombings, was among those found guilty.
Nine other men initially charged in connection with the attacks were acquitted. The perpetrators of the bombings, all of whom died in the blasts, were identified as Islamist extremists from Sri Lanka's Muslim minority. One of the 25 men indicted died while in custody.
The accused faced over 23,000 charges, including murder, conspiracy to commit terrorism, and illegal possession of firearms. The prosecution presented more than 2,300 testimonies and over 2,000 pieces of evidence, including explosives, swords, and firearms.
The 2019 attacks marked the deadliest violence in Sri Lanka since the end of its civil war in 2009. The victims included 45 foreign nationals.
In the aftermath of the attacks, Sri Lankan authorities acknowledged a significant intelligence failure, with parliament hearing that a crucial tip-off from India about the impending attacks was not adequately shared among relevant agencies. In 2023, the Supreme Court ordered former President Maithripala Sirisena to pay compensation to victims, citing his responsibility for national security lapses. Last month, two former senior officials received death sentences for criminal negligence linked to the bombings, though death sentences are typically commuted to life imprisonment in Sri Lanka due to a long-standing moratorium on executions.
For years, victims' families and the public have held demonstrations demanding justice for those affected by the Easter attacks.