Father of Sri Lankan suicide bomber brothers arrested

A millionaire spice merchant has been arrested on suspicion of helping his two sons carry out Easter Sunday’s massacre in Sri Lanka.

One of Sri Lanka’s wealthiest people has been arrested on suspicion of helping his sons carry out the Easter Sunday terror attacks that left nearly 360 people dead.

Spice merchant Mohamed Ibrahim was arrested on Thursday afternoon, Sri Lanka’s former navy chief Jayanath Colombage, who now is a counter-terrorism expert at the Pathfinder Foundation, told the Associated Press.

He was one of the 58 people being questioned by police over the attacks.

Two of Mr Ibrahim’s sons, well educated brothers Inshaf and Ilham Ahamed Ibrahim, died in separate blasts at two Colombo hotels on Sunday.

Inshaf, 33, is believed to be the mastermind behind the deadly attacks, and died when he blew himself up at the Cinnamon Grand while standing in the hotel’s third-floor restaurant.

His younger brother Ilham blew himself up inside the Shangri-La.

Another of Mr Ibrahim’s sons was being questioned by police on Wednesday.

Sri Lankan police inspect the blast spot at the Shangri-la hotel in Colombo. Picture: Chamila Karunarathne

Mr Ibrahim owned the Colombo home where another bomb went off after Sunday’s initial attacks. His daughter-in-law blew herself up as police closed in, killing three officers.

His spice company Ishana Exports, which boasts about being the largest exporter of spices in Sri Lanka since 2006, turned him into a multi-millionaire.

Sri Lanka’s authorities confirmed yesterday that one of the suicide bombers behind the Easter Sunday massacre had lived and studied in Australia and had also spent time in the UK.

Speaking in Townsville today, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said one of the attackers had spent time here.

“I can confirm the suicide bomber had been in Australia,” Mr Morrison said.

“They departed in early 2013. That individual had been here on a student and graduate skilled visa. They had no visa (since).”

The man had also held a spouse and child visa at a time. After leaving in 2013, the person did not return to Australia.

“It’s a matter of an ongoing investigation so I wouldn’t say anything other than what (I have).”

Security sources confirmed to numerous media outlets the man was Abdul Lathief Jameel Mohamed.

Before travelling to Melbourne to complete his postgraduate study, Mohamed spent a year at Kingston University in south west London in 2006 where he completed an aerospace engineering course.

An attacker was pictured on CCTV patting a child before bombing St Sebastian’s Church.

Mr Wijewardene said it was “worrying” so many of the suspects were “well educated and come from upper middle class and so they are financially independent”.

“That’s a worrying factor in this because some of them have studied in various other countries,” he said.

“They hold degrees. We believe one of the suicide bombers studied in the UK and later on did his postgraduate in Australia before coming back to Sri Lanka.”

In a statement, a Home Affairs spokesman said the government “can confirm that one of the alleged suicide bombers involved in the attacks in Sri Lanka has previously held a visa for Australia”.

“It would be inappropriate to comment further on an active investigation,” they said. “The Australian Government will continue to provide assistance requested by Sri Lanka.”

SRI LANKA IMPOSES FOURTH NIGHT OF CURFEW

Police yesterday confirmed the death toll had risen to 359. A further 18 suspects were arrested overnight, bringing the total detained to 58.

Islamic State on Tuesday claimed responsibility for the attacks.

A curfew, that requires Sri Lankans to be in their homes by 10pm, was imposed again last night.

Mr Wijewardene earlier on Tuesday told parliament two Sri Lankan Islamist groups, National Thowheeth Jama’ath and Jammiyathul Millathu Ibrahim, were responsible.

Sri Lanka now says nine suicide bombers were involved, eight of whom have been identified.

Mr Wijewardene confirmed a number of the bombers had previously been in police custody.

“Yes, some of them I think on earlier incidents have been taken into custody and on small skirmishes … but nothing to this magnitude before,” he said.

He reiterated his claim from Tuesday that the attacks were motivated as revenge for last month’s Christchurch mosque shootings in New Zealand.

“What happened in New Zealand motivated what happened on Easter Sunday,” he said.

He warned there was still a danger that “there could still be a few people out there”.

“We are asking the people to be vigilant,” he said. “I’m not saying the country is 100 per cent at the moment. Within the next few days, we will have the situation totally under control.”

Sri Lanka declared a state of emergency from midnight on Monday, giving police and military expanded power to detain suspects.

A man reads a newspaper with a lead story on Islamic State taking responsibility. Picture: Gemunu Amarasinghe/AP

A Sri Lankan police officer patrols out side a mosque in Colombo on Wednesday. Picture: Eranga Jayawardena/AP

A priest conducts religious rituals during a mass burial for victims in Negombo. Picture: Gemunu Amarasinghe/AP

IS released a video showing the attackers pledging allegiance to Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. Picture: SITE Intelligence Group

Mr Wijewardene admitted there was “definitely a lapse of intelligence”, saying the government “has to take responsibility”.

In the wake of the bombings it emerged Sri Lankan authorities had been warned of the attacks at least 10 days in advance, but that information was not shared with the Prime Minister.

“I think, at least this could have been avoided or even minimised, the situation could have been minimised,” he said.

“We cannot shake off — the government cannot say that we’re not responsible. There is a certain degree of responsibility here.”

Mr Wijewardene said more arrests would be made in coming days as police probed Islamic State’s claimed involvement.

He said for the past three or four years authorities had been looking at the “infiltration of IS people”.

“There have some people who have travelled to Syria to take up the cause, but their families also have been under surveillance and everything,” he said.

“Until Easter Sunday … it was being monitored, but we didn’t know it was going to go into this. At least, I didn’t know that it was going to be scaled up to this.”

Meanwhile, Mr Wijewardene said police carried out a controlled explosion while investigating a “suspicious” motorbike parked outside the Savoy cinema in Colombo on Wednesday afternoon.

That came after a van parked near St Anthony’s Shrine exploded on Monday night as police attempted to defuse three bombs discovered inside. No injuries were reported.

Suicide bombers struck six locations near simultaneously on Sunday — the Shangri-La, Cinnamon Grand and Kingsbury hotels, St Anthony’s Shrine in Colombo, St Sebastian’s church in Negombo and Zion Church in Batticaloa.

Two more bombs exploded hours later, one near an overpass on the outskirts of Colombo and another at the nearby safe house.

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Originally published as Father of Sri Lankan suicide bomber brothers arrested