CLASSIFIED | POLITICS | TERRORISM | OPINION | VIEWS

Christian Priests arrested with suicide kits

CDN and other sources

Police investigating the seizure of suicide jackets in Mabole on February 1, two days prior to Independence Day celebrations, have arrested 3 Christian priests from a fundamentalist religious sect and recovered several suicide kits.

Under interrogation the priests have confessed that they had brought down around 30 suicide cadres from Mannar to Kandy and Nuwara Eliya. They also admitted to transporting several suicide kits and weapons to these areas.

Events unfolded when Civil Defence Force personnel K.M. Gunapala and R.M. Gunawardena who were deployed in the Mabole area arrested a suspected LTTE cadre close to the premises of the Colour Guard Company around 8.30 a.m. on February 1.

They were able to arrest the suspect Velupillai Gangadharan after a women tipped off them about two people who had left a parcel there at Mabole. The parcel contained two suicide kits, eight detonators, eight batteries, and six remote controlled devices. The parcel had been transported to Mabole to be given to a person called Suresh.

Due to prompt action by the Seeduwa Police in setting up road blocks, police were able to arrest the person suspected to have transported them to Mabole area in a van bearing the licence plate number 57-7399 at the road block at Kala Oya around 1 p.m.

The arrested person was later identified as a pastor of a church in Mannar which is a branch of Four Square Church, a Christian evangelist group.

The pastor had divulged that he had dropped four more people in Matale and Nuwara Eliya prior to his arrival at Mabole to drop two other people on February 1. The suicide jackets they brought to Mabole had been given to them by a person from Nuwara Eliya.

Police who conducted further investigations into the incident also revealed that the Christian priest identified as Nagulan had on previous occasions transported arms to Colombo concealed inside the seats of his van. After searching the priest's church at Pahankammukotte in Mannar, security forces were able to recover three suicide kits, two claymore mines and three magnet bombs.

Investigations are currently continuing into the involvement of other priests and Christian extremist groups in transporting suicide bomb kits to the south.

Disclaimer: The comments contained within this website are personal reflection only and do not necessarily reflect the views of the LankaWeb. LankaWeb.com offers the contents of this website without charge, but does not necessarily endorse the views and opinions expressed within. Neither the LankaWeb nor the individual authors of any material on this Web site accept responsibility for any loss or damage, however caused (including through negligence), which you may directly or indirectly suffer arising out of your use of or reliance on information contained on or accessed through this Web site.
All views and opinions presented in this article are solely those of the surfer and do not necessarily represent those of LankaWeb.com. .

BACK TO LATEST NEWS

DISCLAIMER