A controversial Israeli community centre was a potential target of a ‘terrorist’ attack confirmed Sri Lankan police, as three suspects were being detained and ‘interrogated’ today – including one man from Jaffna.
Chabad Arugam Bay
A controversial Israeli community centre was a potential target of a ‘terrorist’ attack confirmed Sri Lankan police, as three suspects were being detained and ‘interrogated’ today – including one man from Jaffna.
“The information was that a place called ‘Chabad House,’ run by the Jewish community, could be a target, and we have taken measures to strengthen security,” said police spokesperson DIG Nihal Talduwa.
According to the website of the Chabad House in Sri Lanka, it claims to be “a Jewish community center of the Chabad-Lubavitch Hasidic movement.”
“Chabad houses were founded by Shluchim sent by the Lubavitcher Rebbe, and can now be found in almost every city around the world,” it continues, adding that they “often serve as a place for Jewish travelers searching for a warm and welcoming community, as well as assist with kosher food and other religious needs.”
Sri Lanka's Terrorism Investigation Division have so far arrested three individuals over the alleged terror plot, which they claim was targeting Israeli tourists in the Eastern Province. "They have been detained and are undergoing interrogation," said Talduwa.
Unconfirmed reports suggest that one of the detained suspects is thought to be a Sri Lankan national who spent time in Iraq.
30-year-old Bilal Mohamed Ahmed Feeroaz.
The MV Crisis, a Maldivian-based news portal, meanwhile named the third suspect as 30-year-old dual citizen of the Maldives and Sri Lanka Bilal Mohamed Ahmed Feeroaz.
The state that he is “the son of a Maldivian father and a Sri Lankan mother” and had previous run ins with the law, including being “previously apprehended in November 2015 for the murder of Maldivian Hussain “Rabarey” Razeen at Tumbovila Bridge, Sri Lanka” and “arrested with 4 kg of drugs in the Dehiwala” in February 2020.
The Jaffna-based man from Chunnakam is reported to be a 40-year-old individual who was previously arrested in 2016 on criminal charges.
As news of the threat broke, Israel's National Security Council called on Israelis in Sri Lanka to immediately leave tourist areas and warned citizens currently on the island to "avoid openly exhibiting anything that could identify you as Israeli, such as t-shirts with Hebrew writing, or any symbol that discloses your religion or nationality".
The stark warning came as more diplomatic missions on the island alerted their citizens of a potential terrorist attack targeting tourists on the island. Germany and Canada joined the US, UK, Australia and Russia in issuing urgent travel advisories on Wednesday.
Sri Lanka's Foreign Minister Vijitha Herath meanwhile held a hurried press conference in Colombo, where he reiterated that security had been beefed up and claimed tourists did not have to fear.
"The Security Council meeting during the last meeting flagged this situation, we were informed of locations such as Arugam Bay, Weligama and Hikkaduwa that required added security which we provided," he said. "We didn't feel the need to alert citizens until we were certain of the situation and necessary action had been taken."
Herath also refuted that Indian intelligence provided information on the suspects and added that they were informed by the other diplomatic missions of the alert that was to be issued.
Across much of the Sinhala South at present, anger seems to be pointed not at those who may be behind a terror plot but at a growing number of Israeli tourists who have flocked to the Eastern Province tourist spot.
The area’s MP Rehan Jayawickreme accused local Israeli businesses of operating illegally in Sri Lanka and stoking a “serious security threat that could derail Sri Lanka’s tourism recovery efforts”. “To those Israelis fuelling this instability, let me make one thing clear: you cannot forcefully and illegally occupy our lands as you have done elsewhere,” he said, calling on Israelis to “respect the laws of this land”.
Muslim traders in the area however told The Hindu last week that Israeli tourists “support businesses here and bring in dollars that help the country boost its foreign reserves”.
“We are just recovering after the cumulative impact of the Easter Sunday bombings of 2019, the pandemic and then our country’s economic crisis. Sending away willing tourists will not help us,” he added.
Israelis accounted for less than 1.5 percent of the 1.5 million tourists who visited Sri Lanka in the first nine months of this year, amounting to just over 20,000 tourists according to government data. At present, there are approximately 575 Israel nationals in Sri Lanka.
Israel's former head of Interpol, Asher Ben Arzi, told Iran International that "it's a very easy place for Iran, because Iranian agents can meet Israelis and make them a target there".
The recent threat has brought back memories of the 2019 Easter Sunday attacks that saw suicide bombers hit churches and several luxury hotels on the island, killing hundreds of people, including foreign tourists.
At the time, repeated warnings from foreign agencies were reportedly ignored by Sri Lankan authorities.
