Ex-President was not informed of 2019 attack warnings; Witness tells PCoI

In his testimony at the presidential commission of inquiry probing last year's April 21st attacks, former SIS Director Nilantha Jayawardena said former president Maithripala Sirisena was not informed of foreign intelligence warnings received on the 4th of April about an attack.

He noted the intelligence warnings were not mentioned in a threat assessment report prepared before the then president's visit to Batticaloa on the 12th of April last year.

He said the warning had not been mentioned as it was not relevant to the President's visit.

The witness observed that intelligence meetings scheduled to be held weekly had not taken place regularly since October 2018.

He added that only three intelligence meetings were held in 2019 before the attacks had taken place

The witness said that the SIS had informed IGP Pujith Jayasundara the police had not conducted a proper inquiry on the bicycle explosion that had taken place in Kattankudy on the 16th of April.

He cited the explosion as a dry run conducted by National Thowheed Jamath group leader Zaharan Hashim days before the attacks.