International   

Three attempts were made on Rajapaksa’s life: Army

COLOMBO: Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa and his brother and Defence Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa escaped “by a whisker” at least three assassination attempts by LTTE suicide squads, thanks to “tightened security arrangements”, said the Sri Lankan Army (SLA) on Friday.

In a report posted on its website, the Army said the information came to light in the course of a court inquiry into the Wellawatte (Tamil dominated area in Colombo) suicide bomber’s death.

The Army said state intelligence wings had unravelled several “intended terrorist bloodbaths”.

“The most recent arrest of an LTTE mastermind who has been operating with the support of several others in Colombo revealed that all three attempts made on the lives of President and Defence Secretary have failed by a whisker due to tightened security network,” it said.

The Army said information provided by an arrested Tiger, who had received special training in Kilinochchi for VIP assassination plans, led State Intelligence Service (SIS) to four LTTE suicide jackets hidden in the ceiling of a luxurious residential apartment in Wellawatte on May 14.

“As the SIS officers in the company of the said arrested terrorist surrounded the 7th floor of the residential complex, one more youth, an undergraduate in engineering in the Moratuwa University who was also to be arrested for his links with Tigers, suddenly ran and committed suicide by jumping off the building. The deceased was later identified as Thamodaram Pillai Sujindran,” said the Army.

It said investigations confirmed that the dead terrorist’s brother, who was now living in London, was one of the three owners of the Wellawatte residential complex. “Findings confirmed he is a hardcore LTTE operative who has been actively involved in the LTTE’s international network. SIS investigators later on took his sister, mother and three more youngsters studying in a private school into custody for interrogation.”

The first assassination attempt on the President, according to the arrested Tiger, was made while he was attending a passing-out parade at Diyatalawa military academy on December 20. A military officer who had been involved in the plan has also been arrested.

The second attempt was to be carried out when he was participating in the “Deyata Kirula” exhibition here on April 4. “The suicide bomber had sought permission to enter the premises in the company of the arrested military officer, but the senior police officer in charge of security did not allow them.”

The third attempt was of a “complex nature”. LTTE suicide bombers executed a suicide attack on a group of Ministers attending a Muslim religious function at Godakapitiya in Akuressa, Matara on March 10. “Tiger terrorists, presuming that President would be coming to see [the] hospitalised Ministers, dispatched a suicide cadre to the hospital premises, but the target did not meet its fruition”.

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Stories in this Section

War against Taliban to continue: Zardari
Three attempts were made on Rajapaksa’s life: Army
U.K. Tamil leader jailed
Aung San Suu Kyi’s trial drags on
Strict terms for Pakistan aid
Indians are coming, warns Obama
CIA hopes to nab Osama
Indian-American, Belize envoy

Copyright © 2009, The Hindu. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu