The Colombo Permanent High Court Trial-at-Bar today (22) found 15 accused guilty in connection with the 2019 Easter Sunday terrorist attacks, which claimed the lives of 269 people and injured more than 500 others.

The verdict was delivered as the court concluded the trial concerning the series of coordinated attacks carried out on Easter Sunday, April 21, 2019, targeting three Catholic churches and three leading hotels in Colombo.

Nine other defendants who had been charged in connection with the attacks were acquitted and released by the court.

The attacks were carried out by nine suicide bombers, including Zahran Hashim, a member of the National Thowheed Jama'ath organization.

The coordinated attacks killed 269 people, including foreign nationals, and injured more than 500 others, including children, attracting widespread international attention.

Following investigations into the attacks, legal proceedings were launched in 2019 against 25 individuals on more than 23,270 charges, including charges relating to conspiracy, aiding and abetting the attacks, and other offenses connected to the Easter Sunday bombings.

A total of 2,309 prosecution witnesses gave evidence in the case filed by the Attorney General against the 25 individuals, including Naufar Moulavi.

The evidentiary hearings, which continued for several years, concluded on August 24.

The three-member High Court Trial-at-Bar comprising Justices Navaratne Marasinghe, Ramanathan Kannan and Sujeewa Nissanka had previously announced that the final judgment would be delivered today.

Heavy security at Hulftsdorp 

Special security arrangements were put in place at the Hulftsdorp court complex from this morning ahead of the delivery of the verdict.

Police personnel, members of the Police Special Task Force, police sniffer dogs, a police mobile CCTV vehicle and ambulances were deployed at the court premises.

The accused in the Easter Sunday case, including Naufar Moulavi, were brought to court this morning.

Several other parties, including Catholic priests, also arrived at the court premises.

The three-member bench began delivering the verdict at approximately 11.30 a.m.

8,900-page indictment

Delivering the judgment, Presiding Judge Navaratne Marasinghe said that, given the enormous length of the judgment, the court would read out in open court only the most important points.

The judge stated that the indictment against the defendants comprised nine volumes and approximately 8,900 pages.

According to the judge, the defendants had been charged with offenses punishable under Sections 2(1)(h) and 2(2) of the Prevention of Terrorism Act in relation to conspiring to carry out the Easter Sunday attacks, aiding and abetting them, promoting extremist ideologies and spreading discord among different ethnic groups.

The court had therefore considered evidence presented against the defendants concerning extremist lectures and weapons-training activities conducted prior to the Easter Sunday attacks, as well as the establishment and maintenance of training workshops and safe houses.

Presiding Judge Navaratne Marasinghe explained the court's approach to determining involvement in a conspiracy, stating: “There is no requirement for people involved in a conspiracy to be lined up together in one place. A conspiracy or agreement can be direct or implied. Those who became involved at the beginning, those who became involved midway, as well as those who became involved toward the end, can all be parties to the conspiracy.”

Defenses considered

The judge subsequently stated that the court had considered the defense statements presented by each of the defendants.

The court rejected the defenses presented by the first defendant, Mohamed Ibrahim Mohamed Naufar, also known as Naufar Moulavi; the second defendant, Gafoor Maama; the third defendant, Hayaathu Mohamed Milhan; the fourth defendant, Mohamed Ibrahim Saadik Abdullah; the fifth defendant, Mohamed Ibrahim Sahid Abdullah; and the other defendants forming the total of 15 defendants found guilty.

The High Court judge, however, stated that the court accepted the defenses presented by the remaining nine defendants.

15 found guilty

Delivering the final conclusion of the three-member bench, Presiding Judge Navaratne Marasinghe said the judges had reached their conclusions unanimously after considering all the evidence.

“After considering all the evidence, the three judges have reached these conclusions unanimously. Accordingly, the bench unanimously determines that the indictments brought by the prosecution against the first, second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh, eighth, ninth, tenth, eleventh, fifteenth, sixteenth, seventeenth and eighteenth defendants in this case have been proved beyond reasonable doubt.”

The court therefore found those 15 defendants guilty of the charges established against them by the prosecution.

Nine acquitted

The court, however, reached a different conclusion in relation to the remaining nine defendants.

The presiding judge stated:

“However, as the prosecution has failed to prove beyond reasonable doubt the charges brought against the twelfth, thirteenth, fourteenth, twentieth, twenty-first, twenty-second, twenty-third, twenty-fourth and twenty-fifth defendants, it is decided that they be acquitted and released.”

Accordingly, the three-member High Court Trial-at-Bar unanimously found that the prosecution had proved the relevant charges against 15 defendants beyond reasonable doubt, while nine other defendants were acquitted and released.