Author: Austin Ramzy / Source: New York Times
Adam Dean for The New York Times
The president of Sri Lanka blamed security officials for not warning him of terrorist threats and said the country’s prosecution of military intelligence officers after its long civil war left it vulnerable to attack, as he sought Friday to deflect blame from the Easter Sunday bombings.
“Action will be taken against all officials who neglected their duties,” President Maithripala Sirisena said, according to
Mr. Sirisena, who is also defense minister, has come under intense criticism after the suicide bombings. Sri Lankan security officials had written a memo 10 days before the attacks describing the threat of bombings, with names, addresses and phone numbers of those believed involved, but it was not shared widely.
Sri Lanka’s government has been consumed by months of infighting, and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, a rival of the president, complained that he was excluded from security meetings.
[ISIS reminded the world that it does not need to control territory to be a major threat.]
Mr. Sirisena said Friday that he too did not receive important intelligence, and blamed the defense secretary, Hemasiri Fernando, and the inspector general of the police, Pujith Jayasundara, along with several senior police officials. Mr. Fernando stepped down Thursday, and the president said he believed Mr. Jayasundara would on Friday.
Mr. Sirisena,…
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