CID Foils Suspected Plot? Army Says Training Drill

COLOMBO (News 1st); An incident was reported last Sunday where two men in civilian clothing were arrested near the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) headquarters in Colombo while carrying a sniper rifle wrapped in black cloth.

Initially, their identities could not be confirmed, but later it was revealed that they were members of the Sri Lanka Army.

Yesterday, the two suspects were produced before the Fort Magistrate’s Court and released after the court considered submissions made by the Army.

The arrests took place near the CID building, close to the Harbour Master’s office and the port gate, where suspects usually report to the CID under court orders. 

At the time, a large number of suspects were present at the CID premises.

CID informed the court that the weapon found in their possession was an AI-AW type sniper rifle. 

The men, dressed in civilian attire, had the weapon wrapped in black cloth and carried no identification documents.

CID further stated that intelligence reports suggested a possible plan to target senior CID officials using sniper rifles, which led to the immediate arrest of the two men.

Following investigations and statements from multiple parties, CID submitted a detailed report to the court yesterday. 

An Army legal officer told the court that the suspects were Army Commando soldiers engaged in a hostage rescue rehearsal inside the port premises. 

He explained that they were returning from special training and had entered through an alternate route because the main gate was closed, leading to their arrest.

The Army also confirmed that the soldiers had authorization to carry the sniper rifle.

However, CID requested court approval to continue investigations into the weapon and obtain mobile phone analysis reports of the suspects. 

The Magistrate ordered their release but stated that further directives regarding the weapon would be issued later.