Politics · Sri Lanka Bureau
President says arrested businessman linked to politician in arms probe
President Anura Kumara Dissanayake has alleged that a businessman detained with a substantial cache of weapons and explosives maintains connections to a politician. The disclosure came as investigators continue their examination of the weapons seizure.
LSN Sri Lanka ·
President Dissanayake made the assertion while addressing a public event in Badulla, stating that the arrested businessman was among several individuals under investigation for activities related to organised crime operations. Authorities seized firearms, ammunition and hand grenades during the arrest, prompting a broader inquiry into the suspect's associations and financial networks.
The President's comments suggest the investigation has expanded beyond the initial weapons seizure to examine potential political connections and the financing of illegal arms procurement. Officials have not publicly disclosed the names of the politician or businessman involved in the case.
The discovery has raised questions about the prevalence of illegal weapons caches in the country and the mechanisms through which such arsenals are accumulated. The ongoing investigation is expected to determine whether the seized weapons were part of a larger criminal enterprise or related to activities that posed a threat to national security.
Authorities have intensified scrutiny of high-profile individuals and business figures as part of what appears to be a widening investigation into organised crime and illegal arms trafficking networks operating within Sri Lanka.
Photo: President Anura Kumara Dissanayake at a gathering in Pitipana, Homagama, January 2025. Channa Udeepa Jayawardhane via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 4.0).