Sri Lanka's Supreme Court has found 15 defendants guilty of jointly planning multiple bombings on Easter in 2019, which resulted in 270 deaths and many injuries.
On Tuesday, 22 Sep 2026 GMT+7, Sri Lanka's Supreme Court ruled that 15 male defendants were guilty of conspiring to carry out suicide bombings on Easter in 2019, leading to 270 deaths and over 500 injuries. Among them is Naufer Maulavi, whom prosecutors identified as the main planner of the attacks.
This group of defendants faces more than 23,000 charges and were brought to the Supreme Court in Colombo under heavy security. However, after delivering the verdict, the court postponed sentencing to be announced later.
The bombings occurred in quick succession at three Christian churches and three luxury hotels, marking the deadliest attack since the end of Sri Lanka's civil war in 2009. Most victims were Sri Lankan nationals, with 45 foreign nationals killed, including the three children of Anders Holch Povlsen, a Danish billionaire. All suicide bombers died in the attacks.
This event exposed a serious intelligence failure in Sri Lanka, as investigations found that prior warnings from India were not properly relayed to relevant agencies.
In 2023, the Supreme Court ordered former President Maithripala Sirisena to pay damages to victims for failing to maintain security.
In August this year, two former senior officials were sentenced to death for gross negligence linked to these attacks, although death sentences are often commuted to life imprisonment.
Sri Lanka is currently investigating Major General Suresh Sallay, former intelligence chief, accused of collaborating with armed groups to allow the bombings to occur, allegedly to create a political advantage for the Rajapaksa family during election campaigns, according to a 2023 Channel 4 documentary.
Both Sallay and former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa deny these allegations. Gotabaya is currently barred from leaving the country and is seeking court protection against arrest.
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Source:bbc