Sri Lankan court convicts 15 men in 2019 Easter bombings, sentences to 200-260 years
Quick Look
- A Sri Lankan High Court convicted 15 men for their roles in the 2019 Easter bombings that killed 279 people, sentencing them to 200 to 260 years in prison.
- The trial lasted nearly five years and included 23,270 charges against 25 suspects.
- Nine were acquitted.
AI-generated summary
Why It Matters
The 2019 Easter bombings in Sri Lanka were a series of coordinated suicide attacks on churches and hotels that killed 279 people and injured 574. Investigators blamed a local Islamist extremist group. The trial of 25 suspects began years later, with charges including terrorism, murder, and illegal possession of weapons under the Prevention of Terrorism Act.
A court in Sri Lanka convicted 15 men over the deadly 2019 Easter bombings, sentencing them to 200 to 260 years in prison on Tuesday.
A three-judge bench of the High Court in Colombo found 14 of the defendants guilty on all charges, which included murder, conspiracy to commit terrorism and possessing firearms and explosives under the Prevention of Terrorism Act.
The 15th accused was found guilty only of some charges.
The court also ordered the seizure of the convicts' property and assets.
Nine men were acquitted in the trial. Those convicted have the right to appeal to the Supreme Court.
On April 21, 2019, coordinated suicide blasts struck three churches and three luxury hotels, killing 279 people and injuring 574 more — making it among the worst attacks in Sri Lanka's history.
Investigators had blamed the attack on a local Islamist extremist group.
The 15 defendants were among a total of 25 individuals — all from Sri Lanka's minority Muslim community — accused of providing support to the suicide bombers.
Lengthy Sri Lanka Easter bombing trial
The trial lasted nearly five years with Sri Lankan authorities filing 23,270 charges in 2021 against the 25 suspects. One of the accused died in pretrial detention.
The case listed some 2,300 witnesses.
Mohamed Ibrahim Mohamed Naufer, an Islamic cleric and the alleged leader of the Easter Sunday bombings, was among those sentenced.
Prosecutors said he had radicalized the other defendants with his teachings. He was sentenced to 240 years in prison with hard labor.
'Intelligence failure'
Tuesday's verdict came as a separate probe looks into allegations that elements within the Sri Lankan state may have had links to those responsible for the blasts.
The country's former intelligence chief Suresh Salley was arrested over accusations that he had a role in masterminding the attacks, a charge he denies.
A parliamentary committee had earlier found that police and intelligence officials ignored foreign intelligence warnings of the attacks.
In July, a former police chief and a former senior official of the Defense Ministry were given the death sentence for failing to act despite prior intelligence warnings.
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Edited by: Sean Sinico
What to Watch
AI outlook — possibilities, not facts
The convicted defendants will appeal their sentences to the Sri Lankan Supreme Court.
Very likely · Within months
The probe into alleged links between state elements and the attackers will continue and may result in further legal actions.
Likely · Within months
Open Questions
- What was the extent of any possible involvement by state officials in the attacks?
- Will the convicted individuals pursue appeals to the Supreme Court?
- How will asset seizures be carried out and distributed?
- What reforms, if any, will result from the ongoing probe into intelligence failures?
