The Sri Lankan police on Wednesday refuted media reports that it had told a court that an Indian national arrested in the investigation on an alleged plot to assassinate President Maithripala Sirisena was aware of the conspiracy.
The Indian national, identified as Merceli Thomas by the Lankan media, was arrested on Tuesday from the residence of the Anti Corruption Movement operations director Namal Kumara, who exposed the assassination plot.
A section of media had earlier reported that the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) on Tuesday informed the Fort Magistrate Court here that Thomas had admitted of having information about the assassination plot.
"He (Thomas) has not said anything to the effect that he was aware of the alleged plot," police spokesman Ruwan Gunasekera said.
Gunasekera said Thomas was arrested on September 21 following suspicions raised by Kumara, who had exposed the alleged plot.
Kumara had revealed that former in-charge of the Terrorist Investigation Division Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Nalaka de Silva had discussed with him the alleged plot to kill Sirisena and the former Defence Ministry secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa.
Silva was questioned by the CID on Kumara's revelations. He has been transferred out of the terrorism bureau pending investigations.
"It must be clearly said that he (Thomas) had not mentioned anything on the alleged plot. He has told the police that he had visited the house of Namal Kumara having seen in press that Kumara had mentioned that certain people have come under threat," Gunasekera said.
He stressed that the CID did not said anything in the court yesterday about "the Indian national being aware of the plot".
Thomas who was taken into custody for his alleged links to Kumara, arrived in the country on a tourist visa, which he overstayed.
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