By Halima Adisa
A Sri Lankan High Court has convicted 15 men over their alleged involvement in the 2019 Easter Sunday bombings that killed 270 people and injured more than 500.
Among those convicted is Naufer Moulavi, whom prosecutors identified as the alleged mastermind of the suicide bombings. Nine other accused men were acquitted.
The coordinated attacks targeted three churches and three luxury hotels, killing 45 foreigners. All the suicide bombers died in the blasts.
The accused faced more than 23,000 charges, including murder, conspiracy to commit terrorism and illegal possession of firearms. One of the 25 initially indicted suspects died in custody.
More than 2,300 people testified for the prosecution, while 2,076 pieces of evidence, including explosives, swords and firearms, were presented in court.
Sri Lankan authorities had previously blamed Islamist extremists for the attacks and acknowledged a major intelligence failure.
In 2023, the Supreme Court ordered former President Maithripala Sirisena to pay compensation to victims after finding him responsible for national security failures linked to the attacks.
The convictions come after years of protests by victimsβ families and other Sri Lankans demanding justice over the Easter Sunday bombings.
