Fifteen of the 24 defendants tried over Sri Lanka’s 2019 Easter Sunday bombings were found guilty on Tuesday, while the remaining nine were acquitted and ordered to be released, according to a reporter at the Colombo High Court. Sentences for the 15 defendants convicted are due to be announced later on Tuesday.
The verdict in the long-running case against Naufer Mawlawi and 23 co-defendants is being delivered by the Colombo Permanent High Court Trial-at-Bar. The case was brought under the Prevention of Terrorism Act and involved more than 23,270 charges, including conspiracy, aiding and abetting, collecting arms and ammunition and attempted murder. The defendants were also accused of links to the extremist group responsible for the Easter Sunday attacks.
The case was heard by a three-judge Trial-at-Bar comprising High Court Judges Navaratne Marasinghe, Sujeewa Nishanka and Ramanathan Kannan. The judgment began at about 12.30pm, with the court later adjourning for the lunch break before resuming proceedings in the afternoon.
The Attorney General originally indicted 25 people in the case. The 17th accused, Yassin Bawa Abdul Rauf, died in custody during the proceedings, and the charges against him were withdrawn. The judgment therefore concerns the remaining 24 defendants.
The defendants who stood trial were Mohamed Ibrahim Mohamed Naufer, alias Naufer Maulavi; Mohamed Saribu Adam Lebbe, alias Abu Hadik or Gafoor; Hayathu Mohamed Milhan, alias Abu Zillah; Mohamed Ibrahim Sadiq Abdullah, alias Abu Umar; Mohamed Ibrahim Abdul Haq, alias Abu Fala; Mohamed Anwar Mohamed Riskan, alias Abu Tariq; Mohamed Mansoor Mohamed Sanasdeen, alias Abu Misan; Abdul Manaf Mohamed Piridavus; Mohamed Ramish Mohamed Sajith; Abdul Latif Mohamed Safi, alias Safi Maulavi or Abu Furqan; Husseinul Rizvi Mohamed Khalib Sameer; Mohamed Zawheer Mohamed Hassan, alias Abu Dawood; Mohamed Iftikhar Mohamed Insaf, alias Abu Mohamed; Rashid Mohamed Ibrahim; Mohamed Hanifa Zainul Abdeen, alias Abu Hina; Mohamed Mustafa Mohamed Haris, alias Abu Nanjiar; Rasik Raza Hussain; Kachchi Mohamed Jasmine; Zainul Abdeen Mohamed Jaseen; Mohamed Mustafa Mohamed Rizwan; Meera Saheed Mohamed Nafli, alias Abu Sana; Mohamed Amin Ayantullah; Mohamed Ansar Deen Hilmy; and Mohamed Akram.
The prosecution case was heard over nearly five years, with proceedings held almost daily. A total of 2,309 prosecution witnesses gave evidence. The recording of evidence for both the prosecution and defence concluded on August 24, 2026, after which the Trial-at-Bar fixed September 22 for delivery of the verdict.
The charges relate to the coordinated suicide bombings on April 21, 2019, when three churches and several hotels were targeted in different parts of Sri Lanka. The attacks struck St Anthony’s Church in Kochchikade, St Sebastian’s Church in Katuwapitiya and Zion Church in Batticaloa, as well as the Shangri-La, Kingsbury and Cinnamon Grand hotels in Colombo. Another explosion occurred at a hotel in Dehiwala.
More than 350 people, including foreign nationals, were killed in the attacks and more than 500 others were injured. Following the bombings, several investigations were conducted, including a Presidential Commission of Inquiry, a Parliamentary Select Committee inquiry and multiple police investigations. The Attorney General subsequently filed indictments and sought the appointment of a Trial-at-Bar to hear the case.
Special security measures were deployed at the Hulftsdorp Court Complex in Colombo on Tuesday, with several police teams assigned to strengthen security as the defendants were brought before the court for the verdict.
The court found 15 of the 24 defendants guilty and acquitted the remaining nine, ordering their release. The sentences for the 15 defendants found guilty are due to be announced later today.
