Attempted assassination of Defence Secretary: Bomb brought in CARE vehicle

Investigations have revealed that the bomb that was exploded at the Pittala Junction in Kollupitiya targeting Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa has been brought to Colombo from Kilinochchi in a vehicle belonging to CARE International, an INGO, the Kotahena Police informed the Colombo Chief Magistrate Court yesterday.

The vehicle and all suspects involved in transporting the bomb have been taken into custody.

The police also produced before Chief Magistrate Nishantha Hapuarachchi a copy of the detention signed by President Mahinda Rajapaksa as the Defence Minister order in respect of Chandrabose Selvachandran alias Michael alias Selvarasa.

Kotahena Police also informed the Court that the Police have detained suspects Sivalingam Arunan, Patmanathan Iiyer Sriskandaraja Sharma and Arunasalam Arumugam Perumal at the Foreshore Police Station for further investigations in connection with this assassination attempt.

While Dharmalingam Dharmadaran and Rasiah Kannan, employees of CARE International have transported the bomb from Kilinochchi to Colombo, Sivalingam Arunan had been looking for a safe place to keep it. When a safe house was found through one of his friends at Rudra Mawatha, Wellawatte the bomb had been transported in a CARE International van and buried there. Later, it was transported to Modera and fixed to the three-wheeler of the suicide cadre Lateef Mohamed Faris.

The other parts that were fixed to the bomb had also been transported to Colombo in the same vehicle belonging to the above INGO.

Police also informed the Court that the vehicle will be handed over to the Government Analyst to obtain a report whether it has transported explosives.

The Magistrate ordered that Ponnasamy Karthigesu who had facilitated the purchase of the three- wheeler used in the suicide blast to be further remanded till July 2009.

CARE International

CARE is a leading international organization operating in more than 65 countries in Africa, Asia, Latin America, the Middle East and Eastern Europe.

It has more than 14,500 employees worldwide. More than 90 percent CARE International staff are nationals of the countries where it operates.

Courtesy : Daily News