The Court of Appeal was informed that a list containing the names of 129 individuals allegedly linked to ISIS ideology, including Zahran Hashim, had been forwarded by the State Intelligence Service (SIS) to the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) in January 2019, but no appropriate action had been taken at the time.
The submission was made by President's Counsel Sanjeewa Jayawardena, appearing for former State Intelligence Service Director Suresh Salley, during the hearing of Salley's writ petition challenging his arrest and detention under the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) in connection with investigations into the 2019 Easter Sunday attacks.
Addressing the Court, Jayawardena alleged that the Janak de Silva Commission report confirms the SIS had submitted intelligence identifying 129 individuals believed to be promoting ISIS ideology in Sri Lanka.
He questioned why the then CID leadership, including Ravi Seneviratne and Shani Abeysekara, had failed to take action despite receiving multiple intelligence reports and warnings prior to the Easter attacks.
Counsel further referred to intelligence reports from both local and foreign agencies, including warnings from Pakistan and later India's Research and Analysis Wing (RAW), alleging that information regarding extremist activities and possible attacks had been shared with the relevant authorities before April 2019.
He also questioned whether officials who allegedly failed to act on those intelligence reports could now conduct an impartial investigation into the Easter Sunday attacks.
After considering submissions, the Court of Appeal postponed further hearing of the petition until July 21.
