Retired officer’s terror alert draws flak

Aretired Lieutenant Colonel of the Army, now serving as Security Manager of a revenue-earning state corporation, caused a sensation this week.

In a signed message to his bosses, he said, that ISIS was planning attacks in Colombo taking advantage of the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic. Such a threat, if true, would have raised not only fears but even insurance premiums.

The message went viral in the social media prompting a strong denial last Tuesday from Defence Secretary, Major General ( retd.) Kamal Gunaratne. He said there was no truth to such claims. During a television talk show, he also referred to a similar letter from a construction firm dealing with government projects.

However, the retired officer who has signed his title and name with no reference to being retired, claimed he had been warned by intelligence officials in the Army. Here is an English translation of his message in Sinhala:

“A group of State Intelligence operatives briefed me that ISIS terrorists are planning to carry out a destructive attack centering on a key economic target using the prevailing situation in the country.

“They informed me that religious extremists who had been trained abroad are currently at large in society and that there is a risk that such persons will enter a public or private institution engaging in services and launching an attack using sharp weapons or sharp weap

It would be useful for the Defence Ministry to probe how such “warnings” get circulated. It is always difficult to know which ones are red herrings and which are genuine

ons laced with poison”

He goes on to say that the attack is being planned with the intention of disrupting current terrorism- related investigations and peaceful civilian lives.

It would be useful for the Defence Ministry to probe how such “warnings” get circulated. It is always difficult to know which ones are red herring and which are genuine. So, those who circulate them must also ensure their genuineness, said an MoD official.