A Sri Lanka Easter attacks verdict is expected on Tuesday for Naufer Moulavi, who prosecutors accuse of masterminding the coordinated suicide bombings that killed 270 people and injured more than 500 in 2019. Twenty-three other defendants are also due to receive verdicts over their alleged roles in planning and carrying out the attacks.
The case concerns one of the deadliest episodes in Sri Lanka’s recent history. The Easter bombings struck several locations, including churches where worshippers were attending Easter Mass, as well as three luxury hotels. The attacks were the deadliest violence recorded in the country since the end of its civil war in 2009.
Easter Bombings Sri Lanka Case
The defendants include associates and relatives of nine suicide bombers who took part in the coordinated attacks. Together, those facing trial have been charged with more than 23,000 offences, including murder, conspiracy to commit terrorism and possession of firearms.
Prosecutors have identified Moulavi as the principal organiser of the Easter bombings Sri Lanka experienced in 2019. They submitted what they described as a voluntary confession in which Moulavi admitted involvement in the attacks, and the court accepted the confession as evidence.
Moulavi later disputed that account before the three-judge panel hearing the case. He said he had not been shown what he was signing and rejected the allegations against him.
The prosecution presented a substantial body of evidence during the trial. More than 2,300 people gave evidence, while investigators submitted 2,076 pieces of evidence, including explosives, swords and firearms.
Sri Lanka Court Verdict Follows Security Questions
The Sri Lanka court verdict comes after years of questions over how the attacks were allowed to happen despite warnings. In their aftermath, authorities acknowledged what they described as a major intelligence lapse.
Sri Lanka’s parliament heard that India had provided a warning about the planned attacks, but the information was not properly shared with the relevant authorities. The security failures have remained a major part of public discussion surrounding the 2019 Sri Lanka attacks.
In 2023, the country’s Supreme Court ordered former president Maithripala Sirisena to pay millions in compensation to victims. The court found him responsible for national security failures linked to the bombings.
Last month, two former senior officials were sentenced to death for criminal negligence connected to the attacks. However, death sentences in Sri Lanka are generally commuted to life imprisonment because of a decades-old moratorium on executions.
Suresh Sallay Investigation Continues
The latest Sri Lanka Easter attacks verdict also comes as a separate investigation involving former intelligence chief Suresh Sallay continues. Sallay has been accused of orchestrating the bombings alongside Islamist extremists, allegations he denies.
The claims were also raised in a 2023 documentary by British broadcaster Channel 4. The programme featured testimony from a whistleblower who alleged that the attacks were allowed to take place to increase support for the Rajapaksa family, which had dominated Sri Lankan politics for years.
Former president Gotabaya Rajapaksa, who won the presidency months after the 2019 attacks after campaigning on tackling Islamist extremism, has also denied the allegations.
Sallay was arrested in February and remains at the centre of the separate investigation. Rajapaksa has been barred from leaving Sri Lanka and has asked a court to prevent his possible arrest in connection with the ongoing inquiry.
For years, Sri Lankans have staged regular demonstrations demanding justice for those killed and injured in the Easter Sunday bombings. The Naufer Moulavi trial and the wider Sri Lanka terrorism case therefore remain closely watched by victims’ families and the public as authorities continue to pursue accountability for the 2019 attacks.