Lapses in coordination contributed to attacks - State Defence Minister

State Defence Minister Ruwan Wijewardene stated that lapses in coordination when it came to intelligence sharing had contributed to the Easter Sunday attacks. 

By Sandun Jayawardana

State Defence Minister Ruwan Wijewardene stated that lapses in coordination when it came to intelligence sharing had contributed to the Easter Sunday attacks. 

Giving evidence before the Parliamentary Select Committe (PSC) investigating the terror attacks on Tuesday (6), Mr Wijewardene further said that he felt that the intelligence services, rather than working together, had their own autonomy. "There was also a question of stability in the Defence Ministry because from 2015 up to now, there have been five different Defence Secretaries," he observed. 

Mr Wijewardene said that the National Security Council (NSC) had discussed Muslim extremism in 2017 following a clash between two rival Muslim groups in Kattankudy. The issue of Sri Lankans going to Syria to fight for the Islamic State (ISIS) was also discussed at the NSC. However, there was no indication then that plans were being drawn up to mount a terrorist attack here, he stressed. 

The State Defence Minister told the PSC that he was not invited to NSC meetings after the Constitutional Crisis from October 26, 2018. He also emphasized that he was not made aware of the intelligence information issued on April 9, 2019 warning of an impending attack. "I only learned about it after the Easter Sunday attacks," he said, adding that he believed that he should have been made aware of the information in his capacity as State Minister of Defence.