Key facts
- Fifteen men were convicted in Sri Lanka for their involvement in the 2019 Easter bombings.
- Naufer Moulavi was among those convicted and identified as the mastermind.
- The bombings killed 267 people and wounded nearly 600.
- Nine defendants were acquitted.
- The attacks targeted three churches and three hotels.
- Convicted men were sentenced to between 200 and 260 years in prison.
A Sri Lankan High Court has convicted 15 men for their involvement in the 2019 Easter Sunday bombings, which killed 267 people and wounded nearly 600. Naufer Moulavi, identified by prosecutors as the mastermind behind the attacks, was among those found guilty. Nine other defendants were acquitted. The co-ordinated blasts struck three churches and three luxury hotels during Easter services and celebrations. The bombings, inspired by the Islamic State group, were among the deadliest attacks in Sri Lanka’s history. Forty-five foreigners were among the deceased. The individuals who carried out the attacks died in the explosions. Investigators have previously attributed the attacks to Islamist extremists. The 25 men indicted faced charges including murder and conspiracy to commit terrorism under the Prevention of Terrorism Act. One indicted man died before trial. Sentences ranged from 200 years to 260 years, with five men receiving 200 years, five receiving 220 years, four receiving 240 years, and one receiving 260 years. Mohamed Ibrahim Saadiq Abdulla, who received 240 years, stated, “What I did or didn’t do only God and I know. In the end all people will be resurrected and God will judge everyone.” Authorities confiscated the property of the defendants, who were from Sri Lanka’s minority Muslim community. A parliamentary committee found that police and intelligence officials failed to act on repeated intelligence warnings of the attacks. In July, a former police chief and a former senior defense ministry official were sentenced to death for failing to act on foreign intelligence warnings.