Minister of Public Security Ananda Wijepala has stated that the recent shooting inside the Hulftsdorp Courts Complex on Wednesday (19) does not pose a threat to national security but is instead linked to longstanding conflicts between organized criminal gangs.
In response to Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa’s call for stricter measures to protect judges, journalists, and civilians, Wijepala emphasized that such underworld disputes have existed for a long time. He noted that media houses have been torched under various governments, and journalists have been murdered on the streets. Minister Wijepala assured that immediate actions are taken to apprehend suspects following such incidents and highlighted that the main suspect in this case was promptly arrested.
He also clarified that security for judges has not been reduced and attributed the incident to the prohibition of armed police personnel within court premises. The safe transport of the underworld figure “Ganemulla Sanjeewa” from Boossa Prison to the court complex was successfully managed by security authorities.
