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The Army officer and other rankers arrested at Athurugiriya were in no way connected to a conspiracy to assassinate VIPs and were engaged in official duties at the time of their arrest, the Army stated yesterday.

In a news release issued through the Ministry of Defence, Military Spokesman Brigadier Sanath Karunaratne said the details of their specific duties cannot be revealed due to security reasons.

The release said: "The media have published various reports on the Army officer and other rankers who were arrested by police at a house in Athurugiriya on january 2.

"They were engaged in duties connected with the Army at the time of their arrest. These duties have no connection whatsoever with assassinating VIPs or conspiring to assassinate VIPs. It must be stressed that the duties they were engaged in were not outside the scope of their Army duties and responsibilities.

"The Army regrets that details of their duties cannot be exposed to the media for security reasons. The Army has informed the relevant authorities about the nature of their duties and states with responsibility that these Army personnel have risked their lives to protect the country's territorial integrity and sovereignty in the recent past.

"In any case, the Police are investigating this matter with the fullest cooperation of the Military Police. The Army firmly believes that the truth will be revealed at the conclusion of this investigation."

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