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Sri Lanka Easter Bombings Verdict: 15 Found Guilty in Colombo — AI-generated representative image: A courthouse in Colombo, where a Sri Lankan High Court delivered verdicts in the 2019 Easter Sunday bombings trial.

Editorial Team

High Court convicts 14 defendants on murder and terrorism conspiracy charges, with sentencing set for later Tuesday

A three-judge bench in Sri Lanka's High Court has found 15 of the 24 people accused of direct involvement in the 2019 Easter Sunday bombings guilty of charges including murder and conspiracy to commit terrorism. Fourteen of the accused were convicted on all charges, while one was found guilty of only some charges and nine others were acquitted.

The presiding judge announced that sentencing would be delivered later on Tuesday, bringing a key phase of one of Sri Lanka's most consequential terrorism trials closer to a conclusion.

The verdict addresses the deadliest attack in Sri Lanka since the end of its civil war in 2009, which killed 279 people and injured at least 450. The case has drawn sustained attention because of the scale of the violence and because separate inquiries concluded that senior government officials failed to act on prior intelligence warnings about the attacks.

The ruling is significant for victims' families, for Sri Lanka's Muslim minority community, and for broader questions of accountability within the country's security establishment.

Verdict Details

The High Court found 14 defendants guilty on all charges, which included murder, conspiracy to commit terrorism and possession of firearms and explosives under the Prevention of Terrorism Act. A 15th defendant was convicted on only some charges, while nine others were acquitted of charges related to aiding and abetting the suicide bombers.

Twenty-five men were originally charged in the case, but one defendant died in custody. Police had filed more than 23,000 charges against the suspects, all of whom denied involvement.

The 2019 Attacks and Their Aftermath

Six nearly simultaneous bombings struck churches and hotels on Easter Sunday in 2019. Most of those killed were Sri Lankan worshippers attending services at three churches. Three other bombings hit luxury hotels in central Colombo, the Cinnamon Grand, the Kingsbury and the Shangri-La, killing at least 45 people, including foreign nationals. Among the dead were Japanese, Dutch, Chinese, British, US and Portuguese tourists.

All of the accused are from Sri Lanka's minority Muslim community. The trial opened in November 2021, with the prosecution naming Naufer Moulavi as the main architect of the attacks. Moulavi submitted a confession that the court accepted, though he later retracted it, saying he had not been shown what he was signing. He was ultimately among those convicted on all charges.

Evidence and Prior Findings

More than 2,300 people gave evidence for the prosecution during the trial, and 2,076 pieces of evidence were presented, including explosives, swords and firearms.

In 2023, Sri Lanka's Supreme Court ruled that former President Maithripala Sirisena and four other top officials failed to prevent the bombings despite having prior intelligence, and ordered them to pay compensation. Sirisena was ordered to pay 100 million rupees ($273,300) from personal funds, while former Police Chief Pujith Jayasundara, two intelligence officials and former Defence Ministry Secretary Hemasiri Fernando were ordered to pay a combined 210 million rupees ($574,000). The seven-judge bench found Sirisena had failed to act on intelligence received two weeks before the attacks and had neglected regular national security council meetings.

What Comes Next

Sentencing for the convicted defendants is expected later on Tuesday. Separately, last month former Police Chief Jayasundara and former Defence Ministry Secretary Fernando were sentenced to death for criminal negligence, with their lawyer indicating they would appeal.

In February, retired Major-General Suresh Sallay, a former intelligence chief, was arrested on charges of conspiracy and aiding and abetting the attacks, which he has denied. The investigation into his role remains ongoing.