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Hejaaz Hizbullah, Mohammed Shakeel produced before court, remanded
View(s):Attorney-at-Law Hejaaz Hizbullah, who had been in the custody of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) for over 10 months, was remanded in custody till March 3 on Friday after being produced before the Colombo Fort Magistrate’s Court.
He was remanded in custody along with Mohammed Shakeel, a principal of a Madrasa School.
Mr Hizbullah was arrested by the CID on April 14, last year.
Mohammed Shakeel, Principal of a Madrasa School, arriving at court Pix by Priyanka Samaraweera
Deputy Solicitor General (DSG) Dileepa Peiris, appearing on behalf of the Attorney General, outlined the case against Mr Hizbullah and said he was to be charged under Section 2 (1) (h) of the Prevention of Terrorism Act and Section 3 (1) of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.
DSG Peiris alleged in court that Mr Hizbullah was connected to the teaching of extremist ideology at a Madrasa in Puttalam. He told court that the “Save the Pearl Foundation” which the suspect heads, had fully sponsored this Madrasa where 56 children were educated. The DSG stated that 26 of these students had been separated and given specialised training in a classroom from 2018 up until the Easter Sunday attacks in 2019.
DSG Peiris further claimed that one student had given a statement that the suspect had visited the school and showed the students footage of conflict between Israelis and Palestinians and had claimed that Christians in Israel were controlling mosques and that the only way to frighten them was to attack Christians in Sri Lanka.
Naufar Maulavi, the alleged theoretician of the terror group responsible for the Easter Sunday attacks had preached at the Madrasa in December 2018, while attack mastermind Zahran Hashim had also preached at the school in January, 2019, DSG Peiris stated.
Attorney-at-Law Hejaaz Hizbullah was in CID custody for over 10 months
Niran Anketell, appearing on behalf of Mr Hizbullah, however said it was mandated by law that the magistrate satisfies himself objectively that Mr Hizbullah was reasonably suspected of terrorism.
“This is on the face of it a pure fabrication. They have lied to this court. They have not complied with orders of court,” he said.
Mr Anketell pointed out that investigators had first arrested the suspects claiming they were connected to the Easter Sunday attacks, but that entirely different accusations are being made now. Neither of the suspects had done anything to create religious or ethnic disharmony. As such, he requested court to release the suspects.
The submissions by both sides lasted till 8pm, after which Fort Magistrate Priyantha Liyanage ordered the suspects to be remanded till March 3.