Commanding Officer of the Police Special Task Force, Senior DIG R. Latif says had the information on the suicide attack on April 21 been notified at least on the previous day, action would have been taken to prevent it.
The senior DIG made this statement testifying on Thursday (July 25) before the Parliamentary Select Committee (PSC) investigating the Easter Sunday attack.
He revealed before the Parliament Select Committee that as the Commanding Officer of the Police Special Task Force, he had not been called to any meeting of the National Security Council (NSC) prior to Easter Sunday attack.
“If the STF was considered a strong body for the security of the country, we should have been summoned to the NSC. We should have been included in the Security Council,” said Senior DIG MR Latif.
Minister Field Marshal Sarath Fonseka addressing a question to the Senior DIG, asked “What if you received an order regarding the attack?”
“Of course we could have done a lot. We would have prevented their terrorist activities if they had given us information about the six (bombers). If they knew that they were being pursued, they would not have planned an attack.”
Responding to a question raised as to why such information was not made known, the senior DIG said, “I can’t imagine.”
“Powerful people were aware of this attack. But I was not informed. I cannot understand why they did not do so. If I were informed, a security plan for hotels and churches would have been put in place immediately. Information came flooding out acer the incident and I was not even informed on the 20th. My question is why I was not informed,” senior DIG Latif replied.
A letter he received on April 9 informed that the Indian High Commission was a definite target and that the mission was provided security on April 10.
“I gave security to the Indian High Commission because the letter specifically mentioned it. The churches were referred to as ‘important churches.”
The details of the activities of the STF were also revealed at the testimony by the witness.
It was revealed before the Parliamentary Select Committee that 2245 out of the 3137 STF personnel in Colombo had been deployed for the protection of the VIPs.
However, senior DIG Latif said that a significant number of them are on standby duty and can be deployed when needed.
Responding to Minister Sarath Fonseka, the senior DIG agreed that 99% of the 2245 STF personnel who act as VIP guards have been deployed for the safety of three persons.
“In the developed countries, leaders do not use all the resources in the country to protect them. Even in the US, this much of security is not given. It is in degraded countries that the leaders use country’s resources to protect them,” said Minister Sarath Fonseka.
PSC member JVP MP Nalinda Jayathissa inquired whether there was any link between the drug trafficking and the Easter Sunday attack.
“No information on such a connection has been received, but on April 23, during the siege of Ibrahim’s ‘Mahavila Gardens’, one of his brothers was arrested, along with heroin and a digital scale. Digital scales are used by drug traffickers. Besides, a cousin of Ibrahim was arrested – along with a stock of tramadol pills. There have been no reports attacks were because of drug raids,” SDIG Latif replied.
“Had I been informed at least the day before, we could have prevented the attack”
