Rishad Bathiudeen is a former Cabinet minister who currently leads an opposition party in Sri Lanka's Parliament. He and his brother, Reyaj Bathiudeen, were arrested in the capital for allegedly "aiding and abetting the suicide bombers who committed the Easter Sunday carnage," said police spokesman Ajith Rohana.
Before his arrest Saturday, Bathiudeen wrote on Facebook that police were outside his house "since 1.30am today attempting to arrest me without a charge. ... They have already arrested my brother. I have been in Parliament, and have cooperated with all lawful authorities until now. This is unjust." The arrests came amid growing demands for justice by Sri Lanka's Catholic leaders and community, including during a commemoration held Wednesday on the second anniversary of the attacks. Last month, Sri Lankan Catholics also attended Mass dressed in black and held placards in a silent "Black Sunday" protest.
The government of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, who came to power later in 2019 after promising to determine the truth behind the attacks, is under pressure to find the mastermind.His government accused an Islamic cleric arrested soon after the attacks of being the organiser, but the claim has not been accepted by the Catholic Church, which suspects there was larger foreign involvement.
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