Was a suspect arrested for plotting bomb attacks around Colombo?

Today (April 21), on the 7th anniversary of the Easter Sunday attacks, there was speculation in mainstream media outlets and on social media that a person who was planning to carry out further bombings in Colombo and its suburbs had been arrested. Our Factcrescendo team worked to investigate the truth of this.

Social Media Posts:

Many posts circulated on social media on April 20, stating, “A person who planned to detonate bombs around Colombo has been arrested.”

Facebook | Archived Link

Such posts were widely circulated on social media in this way

FB | FB| FB| FB| FB| FB| FB| FB

We took steps to verify the accuracy of this.

Fact Check:

Many mainstream media outlets also reported that a person who was planning to carry out a series of bomb explosions in Colombo was arrested yesterday (April 20) by the Counter-Terrorism and Investigation Division. The news is available here, can be seen here and here.

It further stated that the police media spokesperson said that the plan was to be carried out by Mohamed Najim Mohamed Imran, known as ‘Kanjipani Imran’, an organized crime gang leader who is said to be currently abroad.

Therefore, we inquired about this with the Police Media Spokesperson, Assistant Superintendent of Police F. U. Wutler. He stated that the information being published on social media, as well as by certain mainstream media outlets, regarding a plan to attack Colombo is false.

He stated that he had not made such a statement and that, based on intelligence information received by the police, a 38-year-old resident of Colombo 15, who is said to have links to Kanjipani Imran, was arrested by the Counter-Terrorism and Investigation Division during a raid conducted yesterday (April 20) in the Kala Veediya area of Ja-Ela, but that no statement has been made regarding the discovery of a plan for an attack.

However, the Police Media Spokesperson stated that it has been revealed that the person arrested is involved in numerous crimes.

Join us to learn about our fact-finding efforts

Conclusion:

Our investigation indicates that the claim that a person who planned to carry out a series of bomb explosions in Colombo was arrested by the Counter-Terrorism and Investigation Division yesterday (April 20) is false.

Police Media Spokesperson Assistant Superintendent of Police F. U. Wutler states that, although a person with close ties to Kanjipani Imran has been arrested by the Counter-Terrorism Division, there was no revelation of a plan to carry out a series of bomb attacks in populated areas, including Colombo.