Current:Home > NewsSri Lanka’s president will appoint a committee to probe allegations of complicity in 2019 bombings -AssetVision
Sri Lanka’s president will appoint a committee to probe allegations of complicity in 2019 bombings
View
Date:2025-04-13 07:46:13
COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) — Sri Lanka’s president said Sunday he will appoint a committee chaired by a retired Supreme Court judge to investigate allegations made in a British television report that the South Asian country’s intelligence was complicit in the 2019 Easter Sunday bombings that killed 269 people.
The attacks, which included simultaneous suicide bombings, targeted three churches and three tourist hotels. The dead included 42 foreigners from 14 countries.
President Ranil Wickremesinghe’s decision to appoint a committee headed by a judge to investigate claims that Sri Lankan intelligence had a hand in the bombings that were carried out by Islamic militants came under pressure from opposition lawmakers, religious leaders, activists as well as the victims’ relatives. They say that previous probes failed to reveal the truth behind the bombings.
In a program broadcast Tuesday, Channel 4 interviewed a man who said had arranged a meeting between a local Islamic State-inspired group, National Thowheed Jamath, and a top state intelligence official loyal to former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa to formulate a plot to create instability and enable Rajapaksa, a former senior defense official, to win the 2019 presidential election.
Rajapaksa was forced to resign in mid-2022 after mass protests over the country’s worst economic crisis.
Rajapaksa on Thursday denied the allegations against him, saying that the claim that “a group of Islamic extremists launched suicide attacks in order to make me president is absurd.”
veryGood! (15677)
Related
- The FTC says 'gamified' online job scams by WhatsApp and text on the rise. What to know.
- Gabby Douglas to return to gymnastics competition for first time in eight years
- Court cases lead to new voting districts in some states. Could it affect control of Congress?
- A foster parent reflects on loving — and letting go of — the children in his care
- North Carolina trustees approve Bill Belichick’s deal ahead of introductory news conference
- A Play-by-Play of What to Expect for Super Bowl 2024
- Horoscopes Today, February 6, 2024
- Census Bureau backpedals on changes to disabilities questions amid backlash
- House passes bill to add 66 new federal judgeships, but prospects murky after Biden veto threat
- China gives Yang Jun, dual Australian national and dissident writer, suspended death sentence for espionage
Ranking
- Trump suggestion that Egypt, Jordan absorb Palestinians from Gaza draws rejections, confusion
- Record hot oceans are causing havoc from California to Chile. Is climate change to blame?
- A reporter is suing a Kansas town and various officials over a police raid on her newspaper
- Incubus announces 2024 tour to perform entire 'Morning View' album: See the dates
- Pregnant Kylie Kelce Shares Hilarious Question Her Daughter Asked Jason Kelce Amid Rising Fame
- Illinois man receives sentence after driving into abortion clinic, trying to set it on fire
- SZA speaks out about losing album of the year to Taylor Swift at the Grammys
- Adult dancers in Washington state want a strippers’ bill of rights. Here’s how it could help them.
Recommendation
Google unveils a quantum chip. Could it help unlock the universe's deepest secrets?
Two years after deadly tornadoes, some Mayfield families are still waiting for housing
Amid backlash over $18 Big Mac meals, McDonald's will focus on affordability in 2024, CEO says
Meta says it will label AI-generated images on Facebook and Instagram
Civic engagement nonprofits say democracy needs support in between big elections. Do funders agree?
A 73-year-old man died while skydiving with friends in Arizona. It's the 2nd deadly incident involving skydiving in Eloy in 3 weeks.
Welcome to the week of peak Taylor Swift, from the Grammys to Tokyo shows to the Super Bowl
Big changes are coming to the SAT, and not everyone is happy. What students should know.