Sri Lanka Bars Ex-President Rajapaksa From Foreign Travel in Easter Bombings Probe

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Colombo: A Sri Lankan court has imposed a foreign travel ban on former president Gotabaya Rajapaksa as authorities expand their investigation into the 2019 Easter Sunday bombings that killed 279 people.

The order was issued by the Colombo Fort Magistrate after investigators argued that allowing Rajapaksa and two former military intelligence officers to leave the country could hinder the ongoing probe.

While Rajapaksa has not been named a suspect, investigators have identified him as a person of interest in the case, marking the first time he has been directly linked to the investigation.

The development comes months after former intelligence chief Suresh Sallay was detained over allegations that he helped orchestrate the attacks. Sallay has denied the accusations.

The Easter Sunday bombings targeted churches and luxury hotels in and around Colombo, killing 279 people, including 45 foreign nationals, and injuring more than 500 others. The attacks were blamed on a local Islamist extremist group and remain one of the deadliest incidents in Sri Lanka's history.

Pic Credit: AFP