Sri Lanka Easter Sunday Bombings Case Verdict Scheduled for September 22

The Colombo High Court has fixed September 22 for delivering its verdict in the main criminal case linked to Sri Lanka's 2019 Easter Sunday bombings, which killed 279 people, including 45 foreign nationals.

The ruling will cover 24 accused who were indicted over their alleged involvement in the coordinated attacks. A three-member trial bench announced the verdict date after proceedings spanning 547 days, during which evidence from 2,309 witnesses was heard.

The Easter Sunday attacks were carried out on April 21, 2019, targeting churches and luxury hotels across Sri Lanka. The coordinated suicide bombings shook the island nation and triggered one of the country's largest terrorism investigations.

At least 25 people were initially charged in connection with the attacks. However, following the death of one suspect, 24 individuals were formally indicted in October 2021.

The attacks were attributed to the local extremist group National Thowheeth Jama'ath, or NTJ, which targeted three churches and three leading five-star hotels in Colombo. Mohammadu Ebrahim Mohammdu Naufer, also known as Naufer Moulavi, was named as the principal suspect in the case.

Investigators also examined alleged links between Naufer and Zaharan Hashim, the leader of the radical group associated with the attacks. Hashim was among the suicide bombers and carried out the explosion at the Shangri-La Hotel in Colombo.

The main criminal case has been one part of Sri Lanka's broader legal process to determine responsibility for the attacks and address allegations of failures by state authorities to act on prior intelligence warnings.

Earlier this month, former police chief Pujith Jayasundera and former Defence Ministry official Hemasiri Fernando were sentenced to death after being found guilty of criminal dereliction of duty for failing to act on intelligence that could have helped prevent the attacks.

In 2023, former Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena and senior members of the country's defence establishment were also ordered to pay compensation worth millions of rupees to the families of the victims following rulings on fundamental rights petitions.

With the main criminal trial now nearing its conclusion, the September 22 verdict will mark a significant development in Sri Lanka's long-running pursuit of accountability for one of the deadliest terrorist attacks in the country's recent history.