Not extending State of Emergency will not affect probes on terrorist activities

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The State of Emergency not being extended will not affect investigations, arrests, detention of the suspects involved in terrorist activities, says the Police Media Spokesperson SP Ruwan Gunasekara.

Secretary of Defence General (Retd) Shantha Kottegoda yesterday (23) said that the state of emergency will not be extended in Sri Lanka once again.

This has brought to an end a four-month state of emergency declared in the aftermath of Easter Sunday suicide bombings by extremists that killed 258 people on April 21.

President Maithripala Sirisena has been extending the emergency on the 22nd of each month since the Apr 21 attacks on three hotels and three churches.

The government used the emergency as it tightened security across the country and hunted members of a local extremist group which was held responsible for the attacks and which claimed allegiance to the Islamic State group.