Assassination of Lakshman Kadirgamar :

Gnanakone, suspects further remanded

by Sarath Malalasekera

Colombo Chief Magistrate and Additional District Judge Sarojini Kusala Weerawardena yesterday further remanded Charles Gnanakone and four other suspects in the assassination of former Foreign Minister Lakshman Kadirgamar till November 16.

Earlier Colombo Additional Magistrate Ajith Anawaratne allowed an application by the Colombo Crimes Division (CCD) probing the assassination to shift through sixteen Cellular telephone centres to obtain certain particulars relating to their investigations.

At the outset CCD Sub Inspector M. A.R. Rajapaksa filing a further report in connection with their investigations submitted to the court that the investigations revealed several persons had obtained Cellular phones by producing forged National Identity cards.

The Judge allowed an application by the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) probing the assassination of Foreign Minister Lakshman Kadirgamar jointly with the CCD to detain two LTTE suspects until the completion of the investigations. The two LTTE suspects are Mutthuaih Shayadevan and Ishithor Arokkayanathan.

The other suspects are Manikkama Thamil Iniyam, Rengam Janagam and Iyar Rajkumar. SI Rajapaksa told court 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.

The investigating team forwarded all the items collected at the scene to obtain expert evidence on several tests including DNA, Fingerprints and Ballistic.

The special investigating squad also had questioned the Commanders of the security division of the late Minister. Foreign Minister Lakshman Kadirgamar was assassinated by a sniper bullet fired by an unidentified gunman in Colombo on August 12 night.

The CID Colombo DIG Pujit Jayasundera, CCD Director Senior SP Sarath Lugoda and Colombo South Senior SP S.H. Dayananda are assisting in the investigations.