Hakeem clarifies facts on controversial video footage, says no connections with Zaharan

COLOMBO(News 1st) - Video footage of a purported meeting between Minister Rauff Hakeem and a suicide bomber who staged the April 21st attacks Zaharan Hashim has been published. Presidential candidate M.L.A.M. Hizbullah spoke about this at a meeting held in Eravur today. M.L.A.M. Hizbullah stated that Minister Rauf Hakeem is continuing to lie. He added that Hizbullah does not have to lie claiming that he and Basil Rajapaksa released the video. He went on to note he already had those videos when he was interrogated at the Parliamentary Select Committee by Minister Rauf Hakeem himself. Meanwhile, the Leader of the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress Rauff Hakeem expressed his views on the matter at a meeting in Kandy today (October 21). Minister Rauff Hakeem, Sri Lanka Muslim Congress Leader: "If you watched this video on electronic media, you can see that it was taken in 2015. A video showing Zaharan following me and coming to the same place I was, is being shared, and they now try to weave a story from this. I make this very clear, as a party representing the Muslim community in Kaththankudi, we had the opportunity to secure a seat at the previous general election. During the previous presidential election, Hizbullah supported Mahinda Rajapaksa. When they lost the presidential election, he lost the Parliamentary Election. After his defeat, Hizbullah secured a place in the national list, through our President Sirisena. After entering the national list, he started to burn our shops and houses. I had to then visit Kaththankudi to attend to my party supporters. Now Zaharan also crept into the scene. What can I do about this? When he extends his hand, I extend my hands too. How were we supposed to know, that he will become a terrorist in the future? Recently, I made a speech in Kaththankudi , against Hizbullah. I informed the general public, that Hizbullah who claims he is representing the Muslim community, is nothing but a puppet of the Rajapaksas."