Sri Lanka court sentences 15 men to up to 260 years over 2019 Easter bombings

September 24, 2026 at 02:22 PM2 min

This digest was compiled by AI from multiple sources — links to the originals are below.

A three-judge bench of the High Court in Colombo convicted 15 men on Tuesday for their roles in the 2019 Easter Sunday bombings that killed 279 people. The court sentenced five to 200 years, five to 220 years, four to 240 years, and one to 260 years in prison. Nine others were acquitted, and one accused died during the trial.

Key Facts

The High Court in Colombo convicted 15 men on more than 23,000 charges, including murder and conspiracy to commit terrorist attacks.
The prison terms ranged from 200 to 260 years, with one defendant receiving the longest sentence of 260 years.
The coordinated attacks on April 21, 2019, killed 279 people, including 45 foreigners, and injured more than 500.
Nine other defendants were acquitted of all charges, and one accused died during the trial.

The Verdict

A three-judge bench of the High Court in Colombo delivered the verdict on Tuesday after a trial lasting more than seven years. The 15 convicted men were found guilty of more than 23,000 charges, including murder, conspiracy to commit terrorist attacks, and possession of firearms and explosives. The sentences were based on each defendant's involvement in conspiring and aiding the attacks. Nine others were acquitted of all charges, while one accused died during the trial.

The Attacks

On April 21, 2019, suicide bombers attacked St Sebastian's Church in Negombo, two other churches, and three luxury hotels across Sri Lanka. The coordinated attacks, inspired by the ISIL (ISIS) group, killed 279 people, including 45 foreigners, and injured more than 500 others. At St Sebastian's Church alone, 110 people were killed, including 13-year-old Kanishka Hirushi, the daughter of tuk-tuk driver Indika Rohan. All the men directly involved in the attacks were believed to have died, and authorities later arrested 25 suspects accused of planning the attacks.

Victim Reaction

Indika Rohan, 56, whose daughter was killed at St Sebastian's Church, said he waited for justice for more than seven years. His wife, Nilanthi Pushpakumari, 50, spent weeks in the ICU recovering from severe injuries sustained in the bombing. Rohan welcomed the verdict but said he still wants to know whether the attacks were part of a political conspiracy. A Sri Lankan parliamentary committee found that police and intelligence officials had failed to prevent the attacks despite repeated intelligence warnings.