Sri Lanka convicts 15 men over deadly bombing that killed two Australians
Manik Suriaaratchi and her 10-year-old daughter, Alexendria, were killed in the 2019 bomb blasts in Sri Lanka. (Facebook: Fahim Mawjood)
In short:
Sri Lanka's High Court has convicted 15 men with murder and conspiracy to commit terrorism over the deadly 2019 Easter Sunday bombings.
More than 260 people were killed in the attacks on hotels and churches, including two Australians.
What's next?
The men will be sentenced at a later date.
A Sri Lanka court has convicted 15 men over the deadly 2019 Easter Sunday bombings that killed more than 260 people, including two Australians.
The bombings, considered the deadliest in Sri Lanka's recent history, were carried out on three churches and three luxury tourist hotels.
Australians Manik Suriaaratchi and her daughter, Alexendria, were among those who lost their lives when a bomb exploded inside a church in Negombo, just north of the capital, Colombo.
The attacks by Islamic State-inspired terrorists also injured more than 500 people.
St. Sebastian's Church in Negombo was damaged in one of the blasts in Negombo. (AP: Chamila Karunarathne)
Sri Lanka's High Court convicted 14 of the 24 men accused of being directly involved in attack on charges including murder and conspiracy to commit terrorism.
The three-judge bench read out its decision on Tuesday after a five-year trial.
Nine of the men were acquitted, while one other was found guilty of only some of the charges, the court said.
In 2021, authorities filed more than 23,000 charges against the suspects accused of planning or inspiring the attacks.
None of those believed to have directly participated in the attacks are alive.
Sentencing will take place at a later date.
Sri Lanka's military stands guard at the front of St Anthony's Shrine which was damaged in a blast. (Reuters: Dinuka Liyanawatte)
Sri Lanka president vows to pursue penalties for those responsible
Sri Lanka's President, Anura Kumara Dissanayake had pledged to hold those responsible for the wrongdoing to account when he was elected two years ago.
In July a former police chief and a former defence ministry official were sentenced to death for failing to prevent the bombings.
The court heard then that an Indian intelligence agency had weeks earlier alerted Sri Lanka to a possible suicide attack by Islamist extremists, but authorities failed to take action.
While former police chief Pujith Jayasundara and former defence ministry secretary Hemasiri Fernando were sentenced to death, Sri Lanka has not carried out the death penalty since 1976, and the pair was expected to serve a life sentence instead.
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