The Deputy Leader of the LTTE’s Nediyavan group, Nanthagopan alias Kapilan, has been detained and questioned by Sri Lankan authorities after he was deported from Malaysia, the police spokesman said today.
The senior LTTE leader has reportedly been functioning as one of the two deputy leaders of the LTTE overseas network controlled by Perinbanayagam Sivaparan alias Nediyavan.
He was arrested at the Kuala Lumpur Airport around 6 months ago by airport authorities when attempting to travel from Malaysia to London and later produced before a court.
Nanthagopan was arrested on charges of attempting to use a fake passport to travel abroad and was sentenced for 6 months in prison after being found guilty by a Malaysian court, police spokesman SSP Ajith Rohana said.
After serving his prison sentence he was ordered to be deported to Sri Lanka by the court and was arrested by Sri Lankan police at the Katunayake International Airport three weeks back, he said.
Nanthagopan had been serving as the second in command of the Nediyavan group and had been operating out of the region of South Eastern Asia.
Ajoth Rohana said that Nanthagopan is currently in the custody of the Terrorism Investigations Department (TID) and is being further interrogated.
