PCoI witness says some VIPs instructed security not to say they knew about attacks

Former DIG of the Police Special Security Range Dushan Priyalal testifying before the Presidential Commission probing the 2019 April 21st attacks said he was informed about an impending terrorist attack, on the 10th of April 2019.

The Ministerial Security Division, Judicial Security Division, Diplomatic Security Division, and the security divisions of former presidents Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga, and Mahinda Rajapaksa had fallen under his purview.

Accordingly, the former DIG said he had passed on the information to these security divisions that had been handling the security of 268 VIP's.

However, the witness told the commission that not all VIP's had been informed of the impending attack, and that following the carnage, the VIP's who were aware of the attack had informed their security personnel to avoid divulging that they had been informed regarding the matter.

Former DIG Priyalal said he had been informed that the attack would take place on "important places" and the "Indian High Commission".

Accordingly, he added that a team of six security personnel had been dispatched for additional security at the Indian High Commission in Colombo.

He said he had received this information through a letter that had been sent by the then Chief of National Intelligence Sisira Mendis to the then IGP Pujith Jayasundara, following which it had been forwarded to him.

The commission also drew its attention towards a chat that had taken place between two individuals on a secure messaging platform.

The chat had been extracted by the Criminal Investigation Department from the mobile phone of a suspect who had been arrested on the 08th of May 2019.