How more than 300 people died in Sri Lanka's Easter bombings even though the government knew of the plot 10 days in advance

The report had names, addresses, and more specific information about associates that were reportedly behind the attack, and was available weeks before Sunday's massacre.
Now, press and politicians are pointing to internal fractions within Sri Lanka's government that allegedly kept the prime minister of the country unaware of the crucial intelligence until after the attack.
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Terrorists attacked churches and hotels in Sri Lanka Sunday, killing over 300 worshippers and tourists in one of the deadliest terrorist attacks in recent memory .

The death toll and reported reason for the attack that it was in "retaliation" for last month's New Zealand mosque shooting aredisturbing in their own right. But equally as horrifying is the fact that Sri Lankan authorities had the information to stop the attacks weeks before they occurred, according to numerous reports.

An intelligence report warning of the attacks, which included exact addresses and names of the suspects, appeared on April 11. But Sri Lanka's failure to act on that warning appears to have been the result of politics. Now, those problems may become even more entrenched.

An April 11 report warned of the attacks and gave specific details

sri lanka bomb Gemunu Amarasinghe/AP

On April 11, Sri Lanka's deputy inspector general of police Priyalal Disanayaka sent a letter to the country's four chief security officers to alert them of the impending attack, according to The Associated Press .

The intelligence report, which was leaked and circulated on social media, said that local Islamic extremist group National Thowheed Jamaath (NTJ), under the leadership of Zahran Hashmi, was planning to attack prominent Sri Lankan churches "shortly" a warning which came true on Easter Sunday when the group allegedly attacked three churches and three hotels.

The intelligence was reportedly highly detailed, including exact addresses, names, phone numbers, and schedules of NTJ associates, according to The New York Times .

The report followed earlier warnings about potential NTJ church attacks from India, according to The Times, and in January, there was apparently intelligence indicating that NTJ-affiliates were stockpiling weapons.

With such ample evidence and warning, how did the attack manage to go forward?

Sri Lanka's president shut the prime minister out of key intelligence briefings following a breakdown among leadership

Sri Lanka's President Maithripala Sirisena and his wife Jayanthi arrive for the opening ceremony of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in Valletta, Malta November 27, 2015. REUTERS/Andrew Winning Thomson Reuters

Health minister Rajitha Senaratne told reporters at a press conference Monday that neither prime minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, nor his cabinet, were aware of the report detailing the planned attack until after that attack itself, saying that the prime minister had been kept out of key intelligence briefings by President Maithripala Sirisena.

The claims appear to be symptomatic of a political breakdown between the two leaders that has been brewing for months.

In October 2018, Sirisena attempted to replace Wickremesinghe with a former president without the backing of Sri Lanka's parliament, plunging the country into crisis. Sirisena and Wickremesinghe reportedly clashed over the economy and daily administration, which eventually descended into Sirisena accusing Wickremesinghe of an attempted assassination plot.

After Sirisena's attempted replacement failed to pass a parliamentary vote and the country's top court intervened, Wickremesinghe was sworn back in as prime minister. It kicked off a period seemingly non-communicative governments that ran in parallel under each leader.

The infighting kept the country's prime minister and his cabinet unaware of the intelligence that could have prevented the attack and seems likely to cause more damage.

It's not clear if sharing intelligence would have prevented the attacks, but it's becoming its own political dispute

Sri Lanka's Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe (R) shakes hands with Liu Jianchao, China's Assistant Foreign Minster and Special Envoy, during their meeting in Colombo February 6, 2015. REUTERS/Dinuka Liyanawatte Thomson Reuters

It's not clear if intelligence sharing between the feuding segments of governments would have changed anything. While it's still an open question whether or not the president himself knew of the threat, multiple security divisions that fall under the president were warned of the potential for an attack. Now, it's a futile exercise to attempt to predict how the prime minister would react had he known of the intelligence.

What we do know, however, is that the apparent failure in communication is being weaponized politically, with some Sri Lankan politicians using it as a means to criticize the president, and has been less than unifying for the government.

"This was not dealt properly or the prime minister was not informed, and as you are aware the law and order minister is the president and the defense minister is also the president," MP Harin Fernando reportedly told the BBC.

On Sunday, following the attacks, Prime Minister Wickremesinghe called a meeting that the country's security council refused to attend.

Economy Minister Harsha de Silva told CNN , "I think this is the only country in the world where the security council does not like to come when summoned by the prime minister of the country."

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How more than 300 people died in Sri Lanka's Easter bombings even though the government knew of the plot 10 days in advance

An April 11 report warned of the attacks and gave specific details

Sri Lanka's president shut the prime minister out of key intelligence briefings following a breakdown among leadership

It's not clear if sharing intelligence would have prevented the attacks, but it's becoming its own political dispute

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