Explosives found in a Matara school

Explosives and a firearm were detected hidden in the ceiling of an old room of Mahinda Rajapaksha College in Matara, said officials of the Matara Police.

The detection was made in a room which was initially to be demolished as part of the construction. School officials had decided to keep the room and therefore, it remained abandoned until the school board took up renovations.

The explosives had fallen down yesterday when two workers went about their duties to remove the ceiling of the old room, as the room was to be renovated and transformed into a dining hall.

After receiving the complaint of the two workers, the Principal of the school informed the police .

Upon further investigation by the police, a firearm suspected to have been manufactured abroad, 20 ammunition of 7.62 mm, 138 of 9 mm, 31 of 3.2 mm, two detonators and 199 grams of suspected TNT explosives were detected by the police among other explosives.

Based on the rusted firearm, the police suspect the explosives to had been hidden over ten years ago.

Police believe that the explosives were placed back in 2015 possibly targeting a VIP who  attended the “Deyata Kirula” National Development Program held within the premises during that time.

Investigations are underway with the aid of the Special Task Force (STF) and the Crimes Division.