TID in the dark about Zahran’s whereabouts when alert came

by Rathindra Kuruwita

Kalmunai Sub Division of the Terrorism Investigation Division (TID) had been asked to investigate and report on NTJ leader Zahran Hashim and his associates after TID received a foreign intelligence alert about a possible terrorist attack, Ruwan Kumara Ranawaka Pathirana, former OIC of the unit on Religious extremism at the TID, on Monday (31), told the Presidential Commission of Inquiry (PCoI) investigating the Easter Sunday attacks.

The witness, on Monday, said that the then Director of the TID, DIG Waruna Jayasundara had instructed his unit to arrest Zahran, his brother Rilwan Hashim, Milhan, Zainee Moulavi and Shahid,who were  mentioned in the foreign report before May 01, 2019.

“Since the suspects were living in the Eastern Province, we were asked to seek the assistance of the Kalmunai Subdivision of the TID,” Pathirana added.

OIC of the Kalmunai subdivision had sent a report to the headquarters on 17 April, 2019, without any useful information to help arrest the suspects, Pathirana said. The report had information about two places where Rilwan had previously lived and said that Rilwan, at that time, was hiding at an unspecified location following a clash in the Kattankudy in March 2017, he said.

Members of the PCoI asked the witness whether the report referred  to a motorcycle bomb exploded  on 16 April, 2019, in Palamunai,  Kattankudy. That was a dry run Zahran and his associates carried out prior to Easter Sunday attacks. Pathirana said nothing had been mentioned about it in the report.

“I came to know about it after the bombings. The report also said that Army Mohideen, a strong supporter of Zahran, was also hiding somewhere at the time and had firearms in his possession.”