Former top official held for ‘ plot’ to kill Sirisena

Colombo, Oct. 25: A former top counter- terrorism official in Sri Lanka was arrested on Thursday in connection with an alleged plot to assassinate several VIPs, including President Maithripala Sirisena, a police spokesman said. Nalaka de Silva, the former DIG of the Terrorist Investigation Division ( TID), was arrested by the CID, police spokesman S. P. Ruwan Gunasekara said.

The arrest was made during his interrogation by the CID which had questioned him on five separate days over the alleged plot to kill President Sirisena and former defence minister Gotabhaya Rajapaksa.

A man named Namal Kumara in mid September disclosed the alleged plot implicating Mr Silva. Mr Kumara has claimed that Mr Silva had discussed the plot with him over phone targeting Mr Sirisena and Mr Rajapaksa.

The police spokesman said Mr Silva would be produced before a magistrate. The voice tapes between Mr Kumara and Mr Silva were analyzed by the government analyst who verified that both voices on the tape are of Mr Kumara and Mr Silva.

Mr Sirisena’s security was beefed up after the disclosure of the plot.

Mr Sirisena last week accused his unity government partner of the PM Ranil Wickremesinghe’s UNP of going slow on the investigations.

An Indian national named Merceli Thomas is currently under detention in Sri Lanka for his alleged involvement in the plot.