There has been a lot of talk on social media regarding the use of a Land Cruiser jeep used by Saharan Hashim, who is believed to be the ringleader of the terrorist attack on Easter Sunday, by former Minister of Public Security Dr. Sarath Weerasekera
A senior official of the Ministry of Defense also confirmed that the vehicle had been used by former Minister Sarath Weerasekera since two months.
The vehicle is still in the possession of the former minister and has not yet been handed over to the ministry, the official said.
The car was found by the CID during an investigation into the Easter attack, the official said.
The vehicle which was in the custody of the CID was taken over by the government and was in the custody of the CID, the official said.
Later, the vehicle was exchanged with 02 other vehicles by the Ministry of Public Security, the official said.
The official further said that the vehicle taken to the Ministry of Public Defense was used by the then Minister of Public Defense.
A senior CID official said that although the police garage had informed them that the vehicle used by Saharan would be handed over to the Ministry of Defense and replaced by a jeep and a cab, the two vehicles had not yet been received.
In addition to this vehicle, several other vehicles were found in the possession of the Easter attackers and several of them, including this vehicle, have been taken over by the government and released for police use, the official said.
The vehicle was used by the CID’s police team investigating the Easter attack.
This vehicle which is used to travel for investigations belonged to Shangri-La bomber, the owner of the Wellampitiya Copper Factory, a resident of the Mahawila Park in Dematagoda, the official said.
