US indicts three Sri Lankans for Easter Sunday massacres; may seek their extradition
The United States has indicted three Sri Lankans for the Easter Sunday attacks in 2019. All three are in Sri Lankan judicial custody at the moment.
The move came as Justice Ministry sources in Colombo said the US may seek an extradition of the three suspects.
However, diplomatic sources said since they might face charges here, it was unlikely they would be extradited.
Significantly enough it is the US that has established an ISIS link to Sri Lanka's Easter Sunday massacres which left more than 260 dead.
CID investigations have not been able to establish this fact. This is notwithstanding the fact that the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Central
Investigation Bureau being present in Sri Lanka just days after the attack to conduct investigations into the massacre.
The US Department of Justice said in a statement, Mohamed Naufar, the “second emir” for the group of ISIS supporters that called itself “ISIS in Sri Lanka,” allegedly led the group’s propaganda efforts, recruited others to join ISIS, and led a series of multi- day military-type trainings.
Mohamed Anwar Mohamed Riskan, is accused of helping to manufacture the IEDs used in the attacks, while Ahamad Milhan Hayathu Mohamed, is accused of executing a police officer to take his firearm. He shot a suspected informant, and scouted a location for a separate terrorist attack.
All three are charged with conspiring to provide, providing, and attempting to provide material support to a banned foreign terrorist organisation.
Additionally, Naufar and Milhan are charged with aiding and abetting the receipt of military-type training from ISIS.
John Demers, US Assistant Attorney General for National Security, said, “We fully support the Sri Lankan investigation and prosecution of these terrorists and will continue to work with the authorities there to pursue our shared goal of holding these defendants accountable for their crimes. At the same time, these charges reflect that the U.S. justice system remains a powerful tool to bring to bear against those who harm our citizens abroad. We will continue to pursue justice for the victims of these heinous attacks and for all American victims of terrorism.”
The FBI-led Joint Terrorism Task Force in Los Angeles, including staff assigned responsibilities for extraterritorial matters, is leading the investigation.
The prosecution is being carried out by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Annamartine Salick, George E. Pence IV and Christine M. Ro of the Terrorism and Export Crimes Section, and Trial Attorney Alicia Cook of the National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section. The Criminal Division’s Office of International Affairs provided valuable assistance, the DOJ said.
The criminal case filed on December 11, 2020, in the U.S.
District Court in Los Angeles is the result of a nearly two-year investigation by the FBI, which assisted Sri Lankan authorities, the DOJ said.
Kristi K. Johnson, the Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Los Angeles Field Office, said the charges for an attack on foreign soil represent the FBI’s commitment to deliver justice to travelling American victims and to protect U.S. interests here and abroad.
At the time of the suicide killings, the US Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, while offering condolences to the relatives of those killed, condemned in the strongest terms the terror attacks in Sri Lanka on Easter morning. “Attacks on innocent people gathering in a place of worship or enjoying a holiday meal are affronts to the universal values and freedoms that we hold dear, and demonstrate yet again the brutal nature of radical terrorists whose sole aim is to threaten peace and security,”Mr. Pompeo said.
President Donald Trump offered comprehensive support to Sri Lanka to support investigation and recovery efforts and Sri Lanka accepted the offer. U.S. teams worked with Sri Lankan partners on efforts including explosives detection, crime scene investigation, and forensics analysis.
Among the five US nationals killed by terrorists was Dieter Kowalski, from Denver, Colorado, who worked for educational publisher, Pearson. He was on a business trip, the company and his family told the US news agency Associated Press. He was staying at Cinnamon Grand.
A Department of Commerce employee who had travelled to Sri Lanka on official business, was also killed, the DOJ said.
On April 22, 2019, NBC News reported citing a hospital source that an American woman identified as Chimai Tran-Luu, had been treated and discharged.