File Picture
Sri Lanka’s former President Maithripala Sirisena on Tuesday apologised to the country’s minority Catholic community for the devastating 2019 Easter Sunday bombings that killed over 270 people, including 11 Indians, reported PTI .
Nine suicide bombers belonging to the local Islamist extremist group National Thawheed Jamaat (NTJ) linked to ISIS carried out a series of blasts that tore through three Catholic churches and as many luxury hotels on April 21, 2019, killing more than 270 people and injuring over 500.
The bombings triggered a political storm as the then President Sirisena and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe were blamed for their inability to prevent the attacks despite prior intelligence being made available.
Further according to ANI, the Former Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena said that he will contest the next Presidential elections with the support of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP), Daily Mirror reported. Sirisena served as Sri Lanka’s President from 2015-2019.
The Presidential elections in Sri Lanka are due to take place in September 2024, Lanka Xpress reported. Maithripala Sirisena made the announcement while speaking at a media briefing at the SLFP headquarters.
The former Sri Lankan President said that he is not afraid of any conspiracy against him.
“I will not back down from anything. I’m not afraid of any conspiracy. I respect the law and the court. I will contest for the next Presidential election with the support of the SLFP no matter what troubles were given,” Daily Mirror quoted Maithripala Sirisena as saying.
