Sri Lankan man held for attempting to bribe cop to release attack suspect

A Sri Lankan man was arrested Wednesday for allegedly attempting to bribe a police officer to obtain bail for an Islamic extremist held in connection with the Easter Sunday terror attacks. The 26-year-old suspect, Mohammed Shifan, had offered Rs 500,000 as a bribe to the Officer in Charge (OIC) at the Horowpothana Police station to free a member of the National Thowheed Jamaath (NTJ), the Islamist group blamed for the April 21 bombings on three churches and three hotels here, the Colombo Page reported.

Shifan is said to be a close accomplice of the NTJ member, Abdul Majeed Mohamed Niyaz, who was arrested on April 28 and was remanded until May 14. Niyaz is said to have been directly involved in the bomb attack on Shangri-La hotel on Easter Sunday. Shifan was ready to pay Rs 250,000 as an advance to secure the release of the NTJ member.

The police officer had informed the Bribery Commission and Shifan was arrested while he was handing over the cash to the officer in his office. Nine suicide bombers carried out a series of devastating blasts that tore through three churches and three luxury hotels on the Easter Sunday, killing more than 250 people. Dozens of people linked with the NTJ have been arrested following the blasts.

(With inputs from agencies.)