Sri Lankan Court to Deliver Verdict in Deadly 2019 Easter Bombings Case
A verdict is expected on the alleged mastermind of coordinated attacks that killed 270 people across churches and hotels.
A Sri Lankan court is poised to deliver a verdict on Naufer Moulavi, accused of orchestrating the 2019 Easter bombings that claimed the lives of 270 people and injured over 500. The ruling will also address the involvement of 23 others implicated in planning and executing the coordinated suicide attacks.
The bombings, which targeted several churches during Easter mass and three luxury hotels, represented the deadliest act of violence in Sri Lanka since the conclusion of its civil war in 2009. Among those facing more than 23,000 charges, including murder and conspiracy to commit terrorism, are associates and relatives of the nine individuals who carried out the attacks.
Prosecutors identified Moulavi as the primary organizer, presenting a voluntary confession to the court where he reportedly admitted his role. While the court initially accepted this confession, Moulavi later refuted the allegations, stating he was not fully aware of the contents of the document he signed.
The prosecution presented evidence from over 2,300 witnesses and 2,076 pieces of evidence, including explosives, firearms, and swords. In the aftermath of the attacks, Sri Lankan authorities acknowledged significant intelligence failures, including information received from India about the impending attacks that was not adequately disseminated.
In 2023, the Supreme Court ordered former President Maithripala Sirisena to compensate victims for national security lapses. Last month, two former senior officials received death sentences for criminal negligence contributing to the bombings, though such sentences are typically commuted to life imprisonment in Sri Lanka due to a long-standing moratorium on executions.
The upcoming verdict coincides with a separate investigation into former intelligence chief Suresh Sallay, who is accused of collaborating with Islamist extremists to carry out the bombings. These allegations have been echoed by whistleblower testimony featured in a 2023 documentary, which suggested the attacks may have been allowed to occur to bolster the popularity of the Rajapaksa political family. Sallay denies these claims, as does former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, who was elected months after the 2019 attacks on a platform of combating extremism.