FBI identified Naufer Moulavi as Easter carnage mastermind – Public Security Minister

Hakeem points finger at Israeli Intelligence

By Saman Indrajith

Public Security Minister Rear Admiral (Retd.) Sarath Weerasekara told Parliament yesterday that the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) had identified Naufer Moulavi as the mastermind behind the Easter Sunday terror attacks.

Making a special statement to the House in response to a statement by Attorney General Dappula de Livera, Minister Weerasekera said that according to the investigations carried out by the Sri Lanka Police and US detectives, it was clear that Moulavi had masterminded the terror attacks on 21 April, 2019, killing 270 persons and wounding another 500.

 “Naufer is the person who brought the IS ideology to Sri Lanka and roped in Mohamed Zahran in 2016,’ the Minister said, adding that it had been confirmed by the statements given by Zahran’s wife.

Minister Weerasekera said that it was Naufer who carried out IS training programmes in Sri Lanka and evidence from his documents and laptop support that conclusion. It was Moulavi who prepared the curriculum and course content of those IS training programmes. In addition, he supervised the training camps in Nuwara Eliya and Hambantota.

“Moulavi gave his sister-in-law in marriage to Zahran,” said the Minister adding that the FBI investigation also proved Moulavi was the main player in the attacks.

The Minister said it had come to light that several foreigners were involved in the Easter Sunday terrorist attacks and that an Australian national of Sri Lankan origin, Luqman Talib, had already been arrested in Qatar.  Lankan intelligence agencies had uncovered links between Thalib and Al-Qaeda and IS. “Thalib has two sons and one son is already under house arrest in Australia. Sri Lankan forces have also traced four Maldivian suspects who financed the National Organiser of the Jamaat-e-Islami organization, Sadik Abdullah, and provided weapons manufacturing equipment. There is no need to have any doubt over the investigations on the Easter Sunday terror attacks.”

Nine cases had been filed against 32 suspects so far and necessary steps would be taken to file cases against the other suspects as well, the Minister said.

SJB Gampaha District MP Dr Kavinda Jayawardana said Mohamed Naufer, Mohamed Anwar Mohamed Riskan and Ahamed Milhan Hayathu Mohamed had been charged last month in a federal court in Los Angeles. But there were cases against them here yet. “In addition, the Attorney General has mentioned that there is a conspiracy behind these investigations. We as Catholic MPs have a serious problem when people question these statements and developments. We hope that either the Minister of Public Security or the Minister of Justice will explain to this House the actual situation with regard to the investigations.”

SLMC Leader Rauff Hakeem said that there were reports that Israeli intelligence services had a hand behind the Easter Sunday attacks and its mastermind. Facts related to this and that Israeli intelligence connection were mentioned in the report of the Presidential Commission of Inquiry into the Easter Sunday attacks, he added. “Please check these facts and study those reports. There is an innocent poet called Altaf Nazim. He is being held for publishing a poetry book, which contains nothing related to terrorism. Please, get the book translated and see its content. Many international organisations including Amnesty International have written to the government in this regard. Public trust in investigations is eroded when you prosecute innocent people. I also want to say that the case against Hejaaz Hizbullah is totally fabricated. He is held on statements forcibly obtained from children. He is a lawyer and past student of S. Thomas’ College. When you go after the innocent you cannot capture the real culprits.”

Minister Weerasekera: All those who are spaking now were the MPs or Ministers of the Yahapalana government which should be held responsible for the crime of weakening our intelligence and letting this tragic incident happen in spite of warnings. When the SIS recommended the arrest of Zahran in 2018, the then government authorities neglected that. Had Zahran been arrested then nothing of this sort would have happened. Therefore, all those in that government should be held responsible for the crime. There had been 10 incidents prior to the April 21 attacks, but no arrests had been made.

SJB MP Ranjith Madduma Bandara: It is wrong. It was during our government an open warrant for the arrest of Zahran was obtained. The conspirators are in the government.

Minister Weerasekera: MP Hakeem mentioned Hejaaz Hizbullah. The latter was the one who operated the Save the Pearl organisation under which he gave lectures to indoctrinate Muslim youth to the terror outfit. We have evidence of his lectures brainwashing them to make them terrorists. Zahran and Naufer Moulavi too had conducted lectures on suicide attacks to children. Those lectures were organised by Save the Pearl.