After the devastating attacks of Easter Sunday in Sri Lanka with more than 250 dead, a main suspect has been arrested. The 29-year-old Sri Lankan man was arrested in the Middle East and extradited to the country with four other suspects today, police said.
„The arrest and delivery of one of the main suspects in Sri Lanka bombings is an important step in the ongoing investigation,“ said Interpol Secretary General Jürgen Stock. 29-year-old Ahamed Milhan Hayathu Mohamed was wanted by the police organization with a „Red Notice“ for terrorism and murder. Interpol did not disclose details of the country in which he was caught in the Middle East.
Riots after attacks
The international police organization Interpol sent a team of experts to Sri Lanka shortly after the attacks. The team was deployed at the request of the Sri Lankan authorities and was expected to support investigations into the series of attacks. It consisted of specialists with expertise in crime scene investigation, explosives, counterterrorism and victim identification.
On Easter Sunday in April, nine suicide bombers had perpetrated attacks on, inter alia, three Christian churches and three luxury hotels in Sri Lanka. It killed more than 250 people. The assassins, according to the government, belonged to a local Islamist group founded by hate preacher Mohammed Zaharan. He blew himself up in one of the hotels. Indian intelligence agencies had warned Sri Lanka in advance about plans to attack Zaharan’s group. The terrorist group Islamic State (IS) claimed the attacks for itself. After the attacks, there had been riots in Sri Lanka.
