• Blames Govt. for not setting up deradicalisation/rehab programs to date
• Calls for community support for early detection and prevention

Emphasising on the importance of a programme to rehabilitate those linked to the extremist ideology which lead to the Easter Sunday terror attacks of 2019, Prof. Rohan Gunaratna, an international terrorism expert, warned that the lack of such a specialised programme would risk proliferation of such extremist beliefs.  

He made these remarks during the launch of a new book last week, and blamed consecutive Governments for not establishing a deradicalisation programme with assistance from all communities.  

A book titled Sri Lanka's Easter Sunday Massacre: Lessons for the International Community, penned by Prof. Gunaratna was launched on Friday (28) at the Bandaranaike Memorial International Conference Hall (BMICH) in Colombo.

The event was attended by Foreign Affairs Minister President's Counsel Ali Sabry, Speaker of Parliament Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena, former Public Security Minister and incumbent Parliamentarian Dr. Sarath Weerasekara, Attorney General (AG) Sanjay Rajaratnam PC, Supreme Court Judge Justice Yasantha Kodagoda, and several other guests including a few members of the Presidential Commission of Inquiry (CoI) that investigated the terror attacks.

Speaking during the event, Prof. Gunaratne said that it is vital for a programme to be launched to rehabilitate those who have engaged in the terror attacks, and have had connections with various extremist individuals and organisations. “In other parts of the world extensive programmes are there to rehabilitate individuals with extremist ideologies. Similarly, we should also have such programmes in place. Particularly, the suspects who are currently in custody over the terror attacks should be subjected to a proper rehabilitation process,” Gunarathne stressed. 

Expressing his regret over the incumbent and previous Governments to initiate such a programme, he warned that the continuous failure to initiate such may result in occurrences of similar attacks in the future. “Four years have passed since the terror attacks, but it is unfortunate that the Governments, the previous one and the current one, have not yet initiated rehabilitation mechanisms for the suspects,” he said, and added that there were extremist elements in every community, and that the Government must work with communities to identify vulnerable individuals who are impressionable to such exclusive and extreme views, and act quickly to rehabilitate them. 

Prof. Gunaratne also said that he had interviewed several suspects who are connected to the 2019 terror attacks such as Abdul Cader Fathima Hadiya (the widow of National Thowheed Jamaat Leader Zaharan Hazeem), Naufer Moulavi (Zaharan's mentor, who is also believed to be the mastermind behind the attack), family members of Mohamed Ibrahim Ilham Ahmed and Mohamed Ibrahim Inshaf Ahmed - the brothers who carried out the suicide attacks on Shangri-la and Cinnamon Grand hotels, and many others in authoring the book.

During such interviews, Gunaratna stated that it had come to light that there had been no political conspiracy behind the terror attacks, and that it had been carried out by the Zaharan-led group based on extremist ideologies. “There has been no conspiracy behind this incident. According to what those including Zaharan's wife said, he (Zaharan) would never go and carry out a suicide attack for Gotabaya Rajapaksa (former President) or anyone else. This (2019 attack) was done based on extremist ideologies including the need to form an 'Islamic State', a Caliphate,”' he said. He screened a video footage (previously unreleased to the public) where Zaharan and his would-be-suicide bombers explain the warped ideological stance they believed in and why the group would target churches and hotels.  

When a guest queried as to why the Archbishop of Colombo, Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith had not attended the event to launch the book, he said that the Archbishop had sincerely worked to prevent a great destruction from occurring in the aftermath of the bombings in 2019 by advising the people not to engage in any acts of violence, but that he (Cardinal Ranjith) had later believed the 'conspiracy' theory associated with the incident. He also said that he would believe that Archbishop Ranjith would soon realise that there had been no conspiracy behind the terror attacks.

He also blamed the previous and incumbent Governments for not preparing a mechanism to properly inform the public of what was behind the terror attacks, and said that the failure to formulate such mechanisms has led to the emergence of 'a political conspiracy' theory.

Commenting on the Government's move to lift the ban imposed on five Islamic organisations operating in Sri Lanka after the terror attacks, via an Extraordinary Gazette issued on 27 July, Prof. Gunaratne called on Sabry, Rajaratnam, and others to reconsider the decision. "Please do not lift the ban on radical preachers being granted visas to bring and disseminate hate within Sri Lanka," Gunaratna stressed to the senior government officials present at the book launch. 

The ban on the United Thowheeth Jama’ath (UTJ), Ceylon Thowheeth Jama’ath (CTJ), Sri Lanka Thowheeth Jama’ath (SLTJ), All Ceylon Thowheeth Jama’ath (ACTJ), and Jamiyathul Ansaari Sunnathul Mohomadiya (JSM) organisations were lifted by President Ranil Wickremesinghe, in his capacity as the Minister of Defence. The ban on 11 organisations was imposed in April 2021 by the then AG Dappula de Livera PC due to their alleged links to extremist activities. The Dharul Adhar Jamiul Adhar, Sri Lanka Islamic Student Movement (SLISM), Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), Al-Qaeda, Save the Pearls, and Super Muslim were the other organisations proscribed at the time.

On 21 April 2019, Easter Sunday, three churches (St. Sebastian’s Church in Katuwapitiya, St. Anthony’s Church in Kochchikade, and Zion Church in Batticaloa) and three luxury hotels in Colombo (Cinnamon Grand, The Kingsbury, and Shangri-La) were targeted in a series of co-ordinated suicide bombings. Later that day, another two bomb explosions took place at a house in Dematagoda and the Tropical Inn Lodge in Dehiwala. A total of 269 people were killed in the bombings, including about 45 foreign nationals, while at least 500 were injured.