Foreign Minister Kadirgamar assassination : Court allows CID application to detain two suspects

by Sarath Malalasekera

Colombo Chief Magistrate and Additional District Judge Ms. Sarojini Kusala Weerawardena yesterday allowed an application by the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) probing the assassination of Foreign Minister Lakshman Kadirgamar jointly with the Colombo Crime Division (CCD), to detain two LTTE suspects until the completion of the investigations. The two LTTE suspects are Mutthuaiha Shayadevan and Ishinor Arokayanathan.

Only two suspects Manikkama Thamil Iniyam and Ratnam Janagam were produced yesterday before court. All the suspects were remanded till September 26.

Sub Inspector R.M.R. Rajapaksa of the CCD filing a further report in connection with their investigations said that a special police squad had been deployed to trace the main LTTE suspect who is alleged to have involved in the killing and to trace the weapon used for the killing.

Earlier the investigators had interrogated at length the two suspects who were taken into custody in connection with the murder.

The investigating team forwarded all the items collected at the scene to obtain expert evidence on several tests including DNA, Fingerprints and Ballistics. The investigators are closely checking the incidents that took place before and after the assassination on August 12.

The special investigating squad also had questioned the Commanders of the security division of the Foreign Minister Kadirgamar.

The Special Police Squad deployed on the direction of IGP Chandra Fernando and conducted by Senior DIG Sirisena Herath are trying to ascertain whether the owners of the house where the LTTE assassin who fired sniper bullets thorugh a window at the Foreign Minister are close associates of the owners.

The Criminal Investigation Department (CID), Colombo DIG Pujit Jayasundera, Colombo Crimes Division (CCD) Director Senior SP Sarath Lugoda and Colombo South Senior SP S.H. Dayananda are assisting in the investigations.