State Minister of Defence Ruwan Wijewardene told the Parliamentary Select Committee probing Easter Sunday attacks that the Government had ‘opportunities to prevent the terror attacks’ but as State Minister of Defense, he was never informed of the rise of Islamic extremism or of an impending attack.“In 2017, at the Security Council meetings, there were discussions pertaining to a clash between two factions of two mosques in Kattankudy. Other meetings discussed Sri Lankans who had joined ISIS,” he told the Select Committee. “But there was no discussion on the rise of Islamic extremism; neither was I informed of any training camps or individuals engaged in making bombs.”
The State Minister said that he had seen the letter shared by the Inspector General of Police Pujith Jayasundara of a probable attack only after the attacks on Easter Sunday. “I had not seen the letter prior to the attack. When I asked my security personnel after the attack, they told me they were alerted but did not inform me as they were merely carrying out their duties.”He added that, after the 51-day Constitutional crisis last year, there was a disagreement between President Maithripala Sirisena and the incumbent government, and, as such, he was not privy to the SC meetings.
