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Sri Lanka's ex-intelligence chief directed the 2019 Easter Sunday attacks, the nation's public security minister announced in parliament. This is the first official statement directly implicating Major General Suresh Sallay in the bombings that killed 279 people.

Minister Ananda Wijepala stated that Sallay, who was arrested in February on accusations of aiding and abetting the attacks, identified a Catholic church as a target. The minister added that investigations revealed Sallay conspired with and strategically directed extremists until they carried out the attacks. Wijepala also noted that Sallay met with Muslim men just three weeks prior to the attack to gather details about the church location and its congregation.

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Investigations have revealed that Retired Major General Tuan Suresh Sallay conspired with and strategically directed extremists until they carried out the attacks.

The Easter Sunday attacks, Sri Lanka's worst single terror incident against civilians, involved coordinated bombings against three luxury hotels in the capital and two Roman Catholic churches, along with an evangelical Protestant church outside Colombo. Sallay, through his lawyer, has vehemently denied any involvement in the tragic events.

These allegations follow a 2023 report by British broadcaster Channel 4, which linked Sallay to the extremists responsible for the suicide bombings and suggested he had met with them before the attacks. The ongoing investigations seek to fully uncover the conspiracy behind the devastating bombings.

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Just three weeks prior to the attack, Sallay met Muslim men to obtain details of the location and the congregation.