Key facts
- A Sri Lankan court will deliver a verdict on Naufer Moulavi, accused of masterminding the 2019 Easter bombings.
- The attacks killed 270 people and injured over 500, targeting churches and luxury hotels.
- Twenty-three other individuals face verdicts for their involvement in planning and executing the bombings.
- Moulavi's confession to the court was accepted, though he later denied the allegations.
- Former president Maithripala Sirisena was ordered to pay compensation for national security failures.
- Two former senior officials were sentenced to death last month for criminal negligence.
A Sri Lankan court is set to deliver a verdict on Naufer Moulavi, who is accused of masterminding the 2019 Easter bomb attacks that killed 270 people and injured more than 500. Twenty-three other individuals will also receive verdicts for their involvement in planning and carrying out the co-ordinated suicide bombings on churches and luxury hotels.
The prosecution named Moulavi as the main organiser, submitting a confession that the court accepted. However, Moulavi later rejected the allegations, stating he was not shown what he signed. Over 2,300 people gave evidence for the prosecution, with more than 2,076 pieces of evidence presented, including explosives, swords, and firearms.
In the aftermath of the attacks, Sri Lankan authorities acknowledged a major intelligence lapse, with a tip-off from India reportedly not being properly shared. In 2023, the Supreme Court ordered former president Maithripala Sirisena to pay millions in compensation to victims, finding him responsible for national security failures. Last month, two former senior officials were sentenced to death for criminal negligence leading to the bombings, though death sentences are typically commuted to life in prison in Sri Lanka.
The verdict comes as a separate investigation into former intelligence chief Suresh Sallay, accused of orchestrating the bombings with Islamist extremists, is ongoing. These allegations echo those made in a 2023 documentary claiming the attacks were allowed to happen to boost the Rajapaksa family's popularity. Sallay denies the allegations, as does former president Gotabaya Rajapaksa, who was elected months after the attacks on a platform of tackling extremism.