Former Senior DIG of the Police Criminal Investigations Department (CID) Ravi Seneviratne on Friday (20) revealed that the Easter sunday attackers led by terror mastermind Zaharan Hashim had originally planned to carry out the terror attack in the year 2020.
Former Senior DIG of the CID Ravi Seneviratne was summoned to give evidence before the Presidential Commission of Inquiry into the Easter attack on yesterday.
Giving evidence Seneviratne said investigations had revealed that Hashim was active from 2014 but had only started planning a terror attack in 2017. But failing to gather a team willing to carry out the attack Hashim had then ordered the attack statues of Buddha in Mawanella in a bid to instigate people. Seneviratne said following this during sermons Hashim had encouraged his followers to carry out an attack on Sri Lankan soil.
Seneviratne told the Commission that accordingly, the group had intended to carry out the attack in 2020. However, Hashim had suddenly changed this decision and directed for the attack to be carried out in April 2019. According to him the members of the terror outfit had disagreed with the decision initially. However, Hashim had managed to convince them by April 9 and the final decision on carrying out the attack on April 21 was made just five days prior to the attack.
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