US Embassy denies reports claiming ‘FBI team’ arrived in Sri Lanka
May 23, 2026 07:24 pm
The US Embassy in Colombo has rejected certain local media reports which claim that a “team” from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has arrived in Sri Lanka to support the investigation into the USD 2.5 million cyber fraud involving Treasury funds.
“No such deployment has occurred,” a spokesperson for the embassy said in reference to the claims.
She stated that, as is standard practice in many countries, the United States maintains an FBI Legal Attaché presence at the Embassy to coordinate ongoing law enforcement cooperation with host nation counterparts when requested.
The US Embassy official emphasised that accuracy matters, particularly on sensitive security and investigative matters.
Certain local media reports had claimed that an FBI team had arrived in Sri Lanka to assist local authorities in investigating the cyber theft of USD 2.5 million in Treasury funds, as well as a USD 625,000 payment to the US postal authorities, which had allegedly been diverted by cybercriminals.
