Security analyst Professor Rohan Gunaratna says that arresting former National Intelligence Chief Major General Suresh Sallay in connection with the 2019 Easter bombings in Sri Lanka is a serious injustice. He said this in a media statement. The statement is given below.
General Suresh Sallay, one of Sri Lanka’s most respected national security professionals, was arrested on 25 February 2026. While serving as the head of the State Intelligence Service and Military Intelligence, he dedicated his whole life to protecting Sri Lanka. He served five governments over three decades and was respected internationally for his contributions to national, regional, and global security.
He has a clean record that no one can damage. According to the statement, General Sallay loved Sri Lanka and its people more than even his own family.
The statement says General Sallay has done nothing wrong and has no connection to the Easter Sunday attacks of 21 April 2019. At the time of the attacks, he was studying at a National Defence College in India after serving at the Sri Lankan High Commission in Malaysia.
It says the arrest of General Sallay appears to be political. It also says that the people behind this arrest, related to negligence connected to the Easter Sunday attacks, should be investigated.
According to the statement, two groups are celebrating General Sallay’s arrest. The first group is terrorists and extremists who carried out the Easter Sunday attacks. The second group is political radicals who blame the Sri Lankan security forces and spread false stories and conspiracy theories about the Easter attacks.
As the author of a book about the Easter Sunday attacks and lessons for the international community, Professor Gunaratna says he carefully investigated the attacks and identified the criminals. He says his findings match the reports of international agencies that investigated the attacks.
Finally, he says Sri Lankan leaders should not play with national security. Protecting a country requires cooperation from all sides. He says this is the sign of mature governance.