PM targeted at State Drama festival?

Rafik Jalaldeen

COLOMBO: Police are probing if a former director of the State Film Corporation now in custody, was planning to target the Prime Minister during the State Drama Festival at the BMICH.

Former State Film Corporation Director K. Devadasan and a lodge owner in Wellawatte were arrested by the National Intelligence Unit last week following information provided by a Black Tiger who was arrested with 6.5kg C4 explosives earlier this month in Wellawatte.

“Devadasan was serving as Director of the Film Corporation from May 2004 to February 2006,” Police media spokesman SSP Ranjith Gunasekera said..

“He was invited to attend the film festival at the BMICH by the Cultural Affairs Director as it is a norm to invite former members of the Board.

“Prime Minister Ratnasiri Wickramanayaka was the chief guest at the event,” he said.

During interrogation, the Black Tiger suicide cadre had revealed that the LTTE female suicide cadre who blew herself at the Fort railway station on February 2 had strapped the explosives inside Devadasan’s shop.

“Devadasan owns an upper floor shop at a supermarket in Kotahena. During a search operation, police unearthed a female dress and bomb assembling material hidden inside the shop,” he added.

SSP Gunasekera pointed out when Devadasan was arrested, police found an invitation card with his name to the film festival where the Prime Minister was the chief guest.

“The National Intelligence Unit are probing whether Devadasan had assisted the Black Tiger to carry out a suicide attack targeting the Premier at the Drama festival,” he told the Daily News.

Investigations are also on to ascertain whether the dresses found at Devadasan’s shop had been used by other women suicide bombers.