Colombo: One of the key LTTE suspects in
the 1996 deadly bombing of Sri Lanka`s Central Bank that
killed 90 people has been arrested, 13 years after he escaped
from custody.
Sellathamby Navaratnam was one of the 11 LTTE members
who were indicted in 2002 but later escaped. He was one of the
main suspects of the Central Bank bombing and was arrested by
a special police team recently, it said.
"Navaratnam is believed to be the individual who
transported the explosives from Vavuniya to Colombo," an
official statement said.
The Central Bank explosion caused heavy destruction
to the city of Colombo, it said adding many lost their lives
while hundreds were wounded in that deadly blast.
Navaratnam has been in hiding for over 13 years in
the LTTE controlled areas, it said adding the Police team was
finally able to arrest him in Chettikulam in Vavuniya.
Navaratnam had been sentenced to rigorous
imprisonment. Ninety one people were killed and 1400 others
were injured in the January 31, 1996 Central Bank blast.
At least 100 people lost their eyesight due to the
deadly explosion. According to a report, the Central Bank
bombing was one of the deadliest terrorist attacks carried
out by the LTTE during the nearly 30 year old war.
The lorry carrying about 440 pounds of high explosives
crashed through the main gate of the high rise Central Bank
building, the report said.
As gunmen traded fire with security guards, the
suicide bomber in the lorry detonated the massive bomb. The
explosives tore through the bank and damaged eight other
adjacent buildings in the heart of Colombo.
The lorry was followed by a a three wheeler carrying
two LTTE cadres armed with automatic rifles and an RPG
launcher, the report said.
While the bomber Raju died on the spot, the back up
team was apprehended by law enforcement with information
provided by the public, it said. It was eventually determined
the bombers had come from Jaffna and were LTTE activists.
Bureau Report
