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Former Director of the State Intelligence Service, retired Major General Suresh Sallay, was arrested by the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) on charges of involvement in the 2019 Easter Sunday attacks. He is currently receiving treatment at the Colombo National Hospital under tight security due to his deteriorating health condition.
In this context, fake posts began circulating on social media, purporting to be statements made by Public Security Minister Ananda Wijepala and Deputy Minister of Energy Arkam Ilyas regarding Suresh Sallay. Let us look at the viral claims in detail.
Claim 1: Social Media Posts
A post was being shared on social media falsely attributing a statement to Public Security Minister Ananda Wijepala, claiming he had said that the Easter case could be concluded quickly if Suresh Sallay died.
Fact Check
Had Public Security Minister Ananda Wijepala made such a statement, it would have been reported in mainstream media and through official, reliable sources. However, no mainstream media outlet or official source reported that the Minister had made any such statement.
Furthermore, the photo used in the viral posts carried the branding of ‘Prime News,’ yet no such post appeared on the Prime News Facebook page. The relevant photo of Minister Ananda Wijepala was used in a post published on the Prime News Facebook page in 2025, and that post itself addressed the spread of fake photos and news stories targeting the Minister.
Minister Ananda Wijepala’s statements on the arrest of Suresh Sallay
We also reviewed recent statements made by Public Security Minister Ananda Wijepala regarding the Easter Sunday attack investigation and Suresh Sallay. In those statements, the Minister noted that a judicial process is currently underway regarding the Easter attacks and that Suresh Sallay was arrested following a prolonged investigation.
However, none of those statements contained any remark to the effect that “if Suresh Sallay dies, the Easter case can be concluded quickly.” The Minister’s statements on the Easter Sunday attack and Suresh Sallay are available here, here, and here.
Minister of Public Security Ananda Wijepala
When we inquired directly, the Media Secretary to Minister of Public Security Ananda Wijepala confirmed that the post in question was fabricated and that the Minister had made no such statement.
Claim 2: Social Media Posts
A separate post was being circulated attributing the following statement to Deputy Minister of Energy Arkam Ilyas: “Despite his name being Tuwan Mohamed Sallay, he is not a follower of Islam. He betrayed our religion and married a Buddhist woman.”
Fact Check
Had Deputy Minister of Energy Arkam Ilyas made such a statement, it would have been covered by mainstream media. Our investigation found that no mainstream media outlet or official source had reported any such statement by the Deputy Minister.
We also reviewed recent public remarks by Deputy Minister Arkam Ilyas about Suresh Sallay and found no instance of him having commented on the matter.
A scene from an address to Parliament on 8 January 2025
The background photo used in the social media post depicts Deputy Minister of Energy Arkam Ilyas addressing Parliament on 8 January 2025. In that parliamentary address, the Deputy Minister made no reference whatsoever to Suresh Sallay or the Easter Sunday attacks. The full statement is available here.
A fake post created using the name of a Facebook page.
Although the circulating post was created using the branding of the Facebook page ‘ ‘මීට කලින් දැකල නෑ තමයි’, the post was not visible anywhere on that page.
The owner of the Facebook page confirmed that the post was not created or published on their page and that the content being shared was a fabrication made using the branding and style of the ‘‘මීට කලින් දැකල නෑ තමයි’ page.
Deputy Minister of Energy Arkam Ilyas
When we inquired directly, the Media Secretary of Deputy Minister of Energy Arkam Ilyas confirmed that no such statement was ever made by the Minister.
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Conclusion
Our investigation confirms that the social media posts circulating as statements by Public Security Minister Ananda Wijepala and Deputy Minister of Energy Arkam Ilyas, linked to Suresh Sallay died are fabrications. Neither minister made any such statement.
Title: Misleading posts being exchanged as statements made by MPs and Ministers regarding Suresh Sallay!
Fact Check By: B.P. Hansani
Result: False
