Arson attack on Lanka E-News office:

Main suspect arrested

The main suspect in the arson attack on Lanka-E-News office in Malabe was arrested by a special police team attached to the Nugegoda Police Division yesterday from a hideout in the Beruwala area, Nugegoda SSP Deshabandu Thennakoon confirmed.

The Police have been following several clues to arrest the main suspect ‘Boothaya’. He has been persuaded by an underworld gangster Nihal to carry out this attack. Both of them were serving a jail sentence for a drug related offence and were released in the first week of December. The suspect was handed over to the Thalangama Police yesterday morning and remanded till February 15 by the Kaduwela Magistrate.

According to Thalangama OIC Upul Perera, the suspect had been in Badulla and several other places to evade police arrest when he came to know that he was being followed by the Police. Boothaya has revealed to the police how he got involved in the attack on the Lanka-E-News office on the direction of his friend in prison Nihal.

Investigations are on to arrest Nihal and others involved in the attack.

President Mahinda Rajapaksa directed IGP Mahinda Balasuriya to initiate a full scale inquiry into the incident and arrest those responsible for the pre dawn attack on Lanka E-News website. Police appointed a special team to carry out the investigation.

The suspect told Police that Nihal introduced him to two persons who came to meet him in a Pajero at Borella. They had given him Rs 3,000 and told him to carry out this attack. However, half of the amount has been taken by Nihal.

These two persons along with Nihal had met him again at the Manel Cinema Dematagoda a week later. They had told him that a computer class was been conducted in Malabe and the occupants were refusing to leave the place despite several requests by the owner.

The Suspect has also been requested to threaten the occupants over the phone after the attack was carried out and the office telephone number had been given to him.

These persons have shown the place to be attacked and had then given him Rs 10,000 as an advance. Boothaya has obtained the assistance of another drug addict Susa alias Susantha and carried out the attack. The attack has been planned by them at a place near the Meethotamulla School.

Thalangama Police OIC Upul Perera told the Daily News that both suspects had heaped the computers and other equipment poured petrol and set them on fire.

Boothaya has obtained a telephone call from a booth near the place which they set on fire and threatened the occupant who happened to be the senior journalist, Upul Perera said. CP