Sri Lanka's Public Security Minister Ananda Wijepala told Parliament on Wednesday that investigations have found former intelligence chief Major General Suresh Sallay was directly involved in the 2019 Easter Sunday bombings. This is the first time the government has officially linked him to the deadly attacks that killed 279 people and shocked the nation.

According to the minister, Sallay, who was arrested in February on charges of "aiding and abetting" the attacks, played a key role in planning the bombings. Wijepala said that evidence gathered during the investigation showed that Sallay had identified a Catholic church as one of the targets before the attacks took place.

The Easter Sunday attacks remain the deadliest terrorist incident in Sri Lanka's recent history. Suicide bombers targeted three luxury hotels in Colombo, two Roman Catholic churches, and an evangelical Protestant church located outside the capital. The coordinated attacks resulted in the deaths of 279 people and injured hundreds more.

Addressing Parliament, Wijepala stated, "Investigations have revealed that Retired Major General Tuan Suresh Sallay conspired with and strategically directed Islamic extremists until they carried out the attacks."

The minister further added, "Just three weeks prior to the attack, Sallay met Muslim men to obtain details of the location and the congregation."

Sallay has denied all allegations against him. Through his lawyer, he has maintained that he had no involvement in the bombings or any conspiracy related to the attacks.

Wijepala also informed Parliament that Sallay was admitted to hospital on Sunday after beginning a hunger strike while being held under Sri Lanka's Prevention of Terrorism Act. His detention has become a subject of political debate. Opposition activists have been holding demonstrations in Colombo and demanding that he be released from custody.

The investigation has expanded beyond Sallay. Following his interrogation, investigators obtained court orders preventing former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa from leaving the country. Authorities are continuing to examine whether there were wider links connected to the attacks and the events surrounding them.

Sallay became head of Sri Lanka's State Intelligence Service (SIS), the country's main intelligence agency, in 2019 shortly after Rajapaksa assumed office as president. Before taking charge of the SIS, he led the military intelligence unit and held several senior positions within the country's security establishment.

Questions regarding Sallay's possible role in the Easter attacks gained weight in 2023 after British broadcaster Channel 4 aired a report linking him to the Islamist extremists responsible for the bombings. The report claimed that Sallay had met some of the attackers before the attacks were carried out.

A whistleblower featured in the Channel 4 investigation alleged that the attacks were allowed to proceed in order to influence the presidential election held later that year. According to the whistleblower, the objective was to create a political environment that would benefit Gotabaya Rajapaksa's presidential campaign.

The bombings dramatically changed the political atmosphere in Sri Lanka. Just two days after the attacks, Rajapaksa announced his candidacy for president. During his campaign, he promised strong action against Islamist extremism and focused heavily on national security concerns. He went on to win the November 2019 presidential election by a large margin.

Although investigators have taken steps against Sallay, the Criminal Investigation Department has not officially named Rajapaksa as a suspect in the case. However, official sources have indicated that he is expected to be questioned as part of the ongoing investigation.

The latest statements made in Parliament mark a significant development in the long-running probe into the Easter Sunday bombings. The investigation continues as authorities seek to determine the full extent of the alleged conspiracy and identify everyone who may have been involved in one of Sri Lanka's most devastating terrorist attacks.