A Sri Lankan high court delivered the verdict on Tuesday, finding 15 men guilty of plotting the coordinated 2019 Easter Sunday bombings. The attacks targeted three churches and three hotels, killing more than 260 people and wounding roughly 500 others.
Prosecutors named Naufer Moulavi as the mastermind behind the suicide blasts. The case involved a massive evidentiary burden, with investigators presenting 2,076 items, including explosives, swords, and firearms. More than 2,300 witnesses testified during the proceedings.
The conviction concludes one chapter but not the entire legal saga. Authorities filed 23,270 charges against 24 suspects in 2021 under the Prevention of Terrorism Act. While the court acquitted nine of the accused, the convicted men now face death sentences, though Sri Lanka hasn't carried out an execution since 1976, meaning life imprisonment is the practical outcome.
Questions persist about intelligence failures that allowed the attacks to proceed. A 2023 Supreme Court ruling held former president Maithripala Sirisena responsible for national security lapses. Meanwhile, a separate investigation targets former intelligence chief Suresh Sallay, who denies allegations of orchestrating the blasts with extremists. Former president Gotabaya Rajapaksa, banned from leaving the country, has sought court protection against potential arrest in this ongoing probe.