As Sri Lanka marks six years since the devastating Easter Sunday bombings, a growing chorus of voices is pointing to a trail of overlooked evidence and unresolved leads—raising renewed questions about whether justice is any closer to being served.
At a press conference held by the Center for Society and Peace, representatives of civil society and journalists presented a list of critical issues that they say remain uninvestigated, despite repeated warnings to the country’s top law enforcement agencies.
Among the key speakers was Tharindu Jayawardena, President of the Young Journalists Association, who highlighted five major areas that demand urgent scrutiny—each pointing to potential lapses in the official investigation.
- First is Abdul Latif Mohamed Jameel, the bomber who died at the Tropical Inn in Dehiwala. Jameel had reportedly been under surveillance by the Terrorism Investigation Division since 2018, yet his activities leading up to the attacks were never properly examined. The panel emphasized that multiple events surrounding Jameel—including his unexplained return to the Taj Samudra hotel to request a room key, and a mysterious phone call just before the bombings—have been ignored.
- Second is Abu Hind, a shadowy figure believed to have contacted the attackers before their suicide missions. His real identity is still unknown, and despite his alleged direct connection to Zahran Hashim and others, no formal inquiry into his role has been launched.
- Third is Sarah Jasmine, believed to be Zahran’s wife and presumed dead. However, several pieces of evidence suggest she may still be alive. If not, the circumstances of her death remain unverified, and authorities have failed to provide clarity.
- Fourth are inconsistencies in witness statements, many of which remain contradictory or unexplored. These discrepancies could potentially alter the understanding of the events, yet they have been left unresolved in official reports.
- Fifth is the troubling issue of missing evidence—including Jameel’s phone and the T-56 rifle seen in the now-infamous video where attackers pledged allegiance to ISIS. Both items, critical to reconstructing the events and establishing direct links, have not been accounted for.
The press briefing also revealed new timelines and details, including that Jameel had left his home on April 19 and was last seen alive at the Taj Samudra Hotel on April 20. On the morning of the attack, he reportedly received a call between 8:51 and 8:54 a.m., after which he abruptly left the premises. That caller remains unidentified. Simultaneously, three voicemail messages with unknown background voices were received by his wife—another lead that has seen no follow-up.
Additionally, footage from the CCTV system at Jameel’s home, seized by the Counter Terrorism Unit, was found to have been erased—from April 19 until officers arrived. How and why that footage disappeared is still a mystery. The phone he carried into the mosque, believed to hold crucial data, was also never recovered.
For the families of the victims and for a country still haunted by that dark April morning, these lingering gaps raise more than just suspicions—they signal a failure to fully uncover the truth.
Six years on, the call for a comprehensive, unbiased investigation is louder than ever. As Sri Lanka prepares to commemorate the victims once again, the question remains: will the state continue to look away from these critical clues, or finally confront the unanswered truths buried beneath the surface?
