POLICE REVEAL NGO LINK
By T. Farook Thajudeen
The bomb used in the attempted assassination of Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa is alleged to have been transported to Colombo in a CARE International vehicle, the Police told the Colombo Chief Magistrate Court yesterday.
At the inquiry into the assassination attempt, the Police informed magistrate Nishantha Hapuarachchi that the two NGO employees identified as Dharmalingham Dharmadaran and Rasiah Kannan as the men who were alleged to have transported the bomb to Colombo in the vehicle.
They said a man identified as Sivalingham Aruran had arranged a house at Rudra Mawatha in Wellawatte to keep the bomb hidden before it was packed into a trishaw owned by a Latiff Mohamed Ariff at Modera. Another man identified as Ponnasamy Karthigesu is said to have purchased the trishaw from Ariff.
The Police informed Court that they had arrested the suspects who were said to be involved in the assassination attempt and the vehicle said to have transported the bomb would be handed over to Government Analyst for examination.
The Police said that according to their investigations it was Aruran who had planned the assassination of the defence Secretary on the instruction of the LTTE.
After considering the submissions made by the Police, the magistrate remanded the suspects till July 2 and ordered the Police to file their investigation report in Court on that date.
The LTTE made an attempt on the life of the Defence Secretary on December 1, 2006 at Pithtala Junction, on Dharmapala Mawatha in Kollupitiya when a bomb packed into a trishaw was set off.
In the bomb blast Lieutenant Colonel Pasquel Priyantha Wijeratne, Lieutenant Colonel M.K. Piyasiri were killed while 10 other security personnel and five civilians were injured.
Eleven vehicles including that of the Defence Secretary were also damaged in the blast.
The bomb used in the attempted assassination of Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa is alleged to have been transported to Colombo in a CARE International vehicle, the Police told the Colombo Chief Magistrate Court yesterday.
At the inquiry into the assassination attempt, the Police informed magistrate Nishantha Hapuarachchi that the two NGO employees identified as Dharmalingham Dharmadaran and Rasiah Kannan as the men who were alleged to have transported the bomb to Colombo in the vehicle.
They said a man identified as Sivalingham Aruran had arranged a house at Rudra Mawatha in Wellawatte to keep the bomb hidden before it was packed into a trishaw owned by a Latiff Mohamed Ariff at Modera. Another man identified as Ponnasamy Karthigesu is said to have purchased the trishaw from Ariff.
The Police informed Court that they had arrested the suspects who were said to be involved in the assassination attempt and the vehicle said to have transported the bomb would be handed over to Government Analyst for examination.
The Police said that according to their investigations it was Aruran who had planned the assassination of the defence Secretary on the instruction of the LTTE.
After considering the submissions made by the Police, the magistrate remanded the suspects till July 2 and ordered the Police to file their investigation report in Court on that date.
The LTTE made an attempt on the life of the Defence Secretary on December 1, 2006 at Pithtala Junction, on Dharmapala Mawatha in Kollupitiya when a bomb packed into a trishaw was set off.
In the bomb blast Lieutenant Colonel Pasquel Priyantha Wijeratne, Lieutenant Colonel M.K. Piyasiri were killed while 10 other security personnel and five civilians were injured.
Eleven vehicles including that of the Defence Secretary were also damaged in the blast.
