COLOMBO, Feb 28, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - Sri Lanka's president has cleared investigators to detain the country's former intelligence chief for up to three months of questioning over his alleged role in the 2019 Easter bombings that killed 279 people, police said Saturday. President Anura Kumara Dissanayake signed an order under the tough Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) to hold retired army major general Suresh Sallay for 90 days for questioning by detectives. Criminal investigators arrested Sallay on Wednesday, making him the most high-profile official netted in the long-running investigation into the bombings, which wounded about 500 people. "The President signed the DO (detention order) last night to keep Sallay in custody for 90 days after the initial three-day period he was held," a police spokesman said. The church had earlier accused former president Gotabaya Rajapaksa of sabotaging police investigations into the bombings after coming to power on the back of them.

Source: Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha February 28, 2026 05:18 UTC