In Sri Lanka, 15 people sentenced to up to 260 years in prison over 2019 terrorist attacks

In Sri Lanka, 15 people sentenced to up to 260 years in prison over 2019 terror attacks

The High Court of Sri Lanka has found 15 men guilty in connection with the bloody Easter Sunday terror attacks in 2019, sentencing each of them to prison terms ranging from 200 to 260 years. Deutsche Welle reported on this.

A three-judge panel on September 22 found 14 defendants guilty on all charges, including murder, conspiracy to commit terrorism, and illegal possession of weapons. The 15th defendant was found guilty on some of the charges.

The court also ordered the confiscation of the convicts' property and assets. Another 9 people in the case were acquitted, and those found guilty have the right to appeal to the Supreme Court.

Terror and the five-year trial

On April 21, 2019, consecutive suicide bombings took place at three churches and three luxury hotels. As a result, 279 people were killed and 574 others were injured. This event became one of the bloodiest incidents in the country's history.

During the trial, which lasted nearly five years, authorities brought 23,270 charges against 25 suspects. One of the defendants died in pre-trial detention, and more than 2,300 witnesses were involved in the trial.

Among those sentenced is Mohamed Ibrahim Mohamed Naufer, who is considered the main mastermind of the bombings. He was sentenced to 240 years of hard labor, accused of radicalizing other participants with his teachings.

This verdict was announced while a separate investigation continues into suspicions that state structures may have been involved in the bombings. This is because the former head of the country's intelligence, Suresh Sallay, was previously arrested on charges of involvement in organizing the terror attack.