Sri Lankan Ambassador to Israel Nimal Bandara has told the media that the body of a 38-year-old Sri Lankan man who was allegedly beheaded in Israel will be sent to Sri Lanka within a week.
The ambassador has also said that this is the first time that a Sri Lankan has been murdered in Israel.
The murdered man, Tharindu Shanaka, had come to Israel last September to work as a carpenter in the construction sector. He is a resident of Galle, Ambalangoda and Batapola.
He is said to have committed the murder after an alleged incident with a black man of African origin. The Israeli police have started investigations into the incident using CCTV footage from the area.
The ambassador also said that nothing specific can be said until the suspect is identified and arrested.
He said that his wife has requested the embassy to bring the body of the deceased to Sri Lanka and that the body was at the Forensic Medical Institute as of yesterday.
The ambassador said that it will cost about 1.5 million rupees to bring the body to this country and that the embassy is spending that money (insurance coverage) and making the necessary arrangements to bring the body to the island.