Sri Lankan President denies reports he was informed about Easter Sunday attacks

Sri Lanka President Maithripala Sirisena on Thursday denied reports that he had prior knowledge of the Easter Sunday bombings in which luxury hotels and churches were targetted in the country on April 21.

According to Colombo Page, President`s Media Division issued a statement in on April 8 in which it stated that he had convened a monthly meeting with the Inspector General of Police and other senior police officers. However, in the over two-hour long meeting, none of the police officers informed the President about the threats. 

Neither the Defence Secretary nor the Inspector General of Police nor any other officer had informed the President about a warning letter received from a friendly foreign country about the impending April 21 terrorist attack, the statement said.

The statement came after Defence Secretary, General Shantha Kottegoda, and Chief of State Intelligence Service, Sisira Mendis, gave evidence before the Parliamentary Select Committee (PSC) on Thursday, the report added.

The PSC, which was appointed to inquire into the Easter Sunday terrorist attacks, met for the first time yesterday at the parliament complex.