CORRECTION / TOPSHOT - An image grab taken from a press release issued on April 23, 2019 by the Islamic State (IS) group's propaganda agency Amaq, allegedly shows eight men it said carried out a string of deadly suicide bomb blasts on Easter Sunday in Sri Lanka, lined up at an undisclosed location. The man in the centre is believed to be Zahran Hashim, who was identified by the Sri Lankan police as the leader of the Islamist National Thowheeth Jama'ath (NTJ) group, which Colombo has blamed for the attacks. The Islamic State group claimed a series of bombings on churches and luxury hotels in Sri Lanka that killed more than 320 people on April 21, and released the photo of the men it said were behind the "blessed attack", describing them as "fighters" from the terror network. The massive casualty toll would make the Easter attacks the deadliest overseas operation claimed by IS since the group proclaimed its worldwide caliphate in mid-2014. - THIS PICTURE WAS MADE AVAILABLE BY A THIRD PARTY. AFP CAN NOT INDEPENDENTLY VERIFY THE AUTHENTICITY, LOCATION, DATE AND CONTENT OF THIS IMAGE. THIS PHOTO IS DISTRIBUTED EXACTLY AS RECEIVED BY AFP. / AFP / AAMAQ NEWS AGENCY / HO / THIS PICTURE WAS MADE AVAILABLE BY A THIRD PARTY. AFP CAN NOT INDEPENDENTLY VERIFY THE AUTHENTICITY, LOCATION, DATE AND CONTENT OF THIS IMAGE. THIS PHOTO IS DISTRIBUTED EXACTLY AS RECEIVED BY AFP.

Local News

Easter Sunday Commission Report Handed Over to CID

By Bhasura Rathnasekara

April 20, 2025

The Presidential Media Division announced that the report of the Presidential Commission of Inquiry into the Easter Sunday attacks was handed over to the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) today (20), following the directive of President Anura Kumara Dissanayake.

The final report and accompanying documents of the Commission were submitted to the CID as per the President’s instructions, after the National People’s Power (NPP) government came into power.

The President has initiated a renewed and accelerated investigation into the 2019 Easter Sunday bombings, aiming for an independent and unbiased inquiry.

Marking six years since the attacks, the government emphasizes its commitment to ensuring a fair investigation and delivering justice to the victims, without allowing the crime to be buried over time.