Easter bombings in Sri Lanka likely to be NIA’s 1st case abroad

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, July 28

The Easter Sunday bombings case in Sri Lanka is likely to be the first case for the India’s top anti-terror probe agency NIA to probe after Parliament amended an Act empowering it to investigate terror cases abroad.

Over 250 persons were killed when nine suicide bombers carried out a series of blasts in the island nation on April 21. Sources in the Ministry of Home affairs (MHA) confirmed that after Parliament giving its nod to the National Investigation Agency (Amendment) Bill on July 17 and the Ministry of Law & Justice notifying the law to this effect on July 25, the anti-terror probe agency is going to take up Sri Lanka blasts as the first case abroad for investigation.

Soon after the blasts took place, a two-member NIA team had visited Lanka in May and had deliberations with Lankan authorities about the claims that a few among the bombers having links with the Islamic State had travelled to India, including Jammu & Kashmir. But since then, the agency could not register a case in this regard on account of jurisdictional limitations.

“Now since the NIA Act has been amended, the agency can investigate the case,” a senior MHA official said, adding that the changed law has empowered the NIA to probe terror attacks targeting Indians, Indian interests abroad and having links with India.

The latest amendments will enable the NIA to additionally investigate offences related to human trafficking, counterfeit currency, manufacture or sale of prohibited arms, cyber-terrorism, and offences under the Explosive Substances Act, 1908. As per the amendments, a special court in New Delhi will preside over such cases.

Before the Easter Sunday bombings, India had alerted the island nation that IS terrorists were planning to carry out strikes there. India had been regularly sharing intelligence inputs about a possible terror attack in Sri Lanka targeting the Indian High Commission and religious places there, officials said.

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