The aftermath in one of the churches targeted in the Easter Sunday bombings.
A man from Sri Lanka who was arrested by authorities in connection with the 2019 Easter Sunday bombings, which killed 269 people, is seeking asylum in the United Kingdom claiming he “fears persecution” if returned back to the island.
The unnamed individual, who has been granted anonymity by the court, was arrested in Sri Lanka in January 2022 on suspicion of involvement in the coordinated suicide bombings that targeted luxury hotels and churches. Thirty-eight foreign nationals were among the dead, including several British citizens.
The man told the UK tribunal that following his arrest he was released only after paying a “substantial bribe” and was placed under reporting conditions. An arrest warrant was later issued on 15 September 2022 after he had already left the country. He arrived in the UK on 2 September 2022 and sought asylum a month later for himself and his wife.
His original claim was rejected by the Home Office, but he has now won an appeal at the Upper Tribunal, which ordered a full rehearing of the case. Deputy Upper Tribunal Judge Claire Burns found that the first-tier tribunal had made “errors” in its handling of the evidence, including a failure to properly consider the timeline of the arrest warrant.
“The judge erred in law in his analysis of the documentary evidence,” she stated, adding that a fresh hearing was required to assess the credibility of the man’s account.
The Home Office said it would “robustly defend” its original decision, insisting that “the Government rejected this asylum claim to ensure this suspected terrorist never sets foot on British soil”.
The case comes as Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood announces sweeping reforms to the asylum system, including making refugee status temporary, replacing immigration judges with adjudicators, and limiting the ability of foreign offenders and irregular migrants to rely on human rights law to resist deportation.
Eight suicide bombers linked to the extremist group National Thowheeth Jama’ath carried out the Easter attacks on 21 April 2019. Sri Lankan authorities have faced widespread criticism for political interference and a lack of accountability.
The man’s case will return to the first-tier tribunal at a later date, where judges will reassess the evidence and determine whether he meets the threshold for international protection.