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Potta Naufer’s son among ISIS suspects arrested In India

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Sri Lankan detectives have uncovered that one of the four Sri Lankans with suspected links to ISIS who was arrested in Indian earlier this week, is the son of a notorious underworld don.
The four suspects arrested by Indian detectives are:

33-year-old Mohammad Nusrat from Periyamulla, Negombo.

27-year-old Mohammad Nafran from Grandpass, Colombo.

35-year-old Mohammad Farish from Maligawatte, Colombo.

43-year-old Mohammad Rashdeen from Colombo 13.

Iterestingly, 27-year-old Mohammad Nafran has been identified as the son of Niyas Naufer aka ‘Potta Naufer’ the notorious underworld criminal who was sentenced to death for the killing of High Court Judge Sarath Ambepitiya.

Investigations have also revealed that Nafran dropped out of school, and commenced a business by traveling to India, purchasing clothing material, and returning to Sri Lanka to sell it.

In 2017, Nafran was arrested by Sri Lanka Police for a charge filed under the National Gem And Jewellery Authority Act.

In addition, detectives have uncovered that Nafran also frequented India, and Dubai for business.

Four ISIS terrorists were arrested in Ahmedabad on Monday, days after the city airport received a bomb threat. The terrorists – Sri Lankan nationals – were arrested by the Gujarat Anti-Terrorism Squad after a tip-off.

Giving details of the operation to arrest the four ISIS terrorists, police said multiple teams were formed after the officials received the information that the suspects were planning to travel to Ahmedabad to carry out terror attacks in India.

Vikash Sahay, Director General of Police, Gujarat, said these four terrorists had boarded an IndiGo flight bound for Ahmedabad from Chennai yesterday.

He said the arrests were made after checking the list of passengers coming from the Southern region and getting their identities confirmed by officials in Colombo.

On May 12, the Ahmedabad airport received a bomb threat email which turned out to be a hoax after security personnel searched the airport complex, but nothing suspicious was found.

The threat email was sent by an unidentified person on the official email ID of the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport in the afternoon, following which the security personnel at the airport scanned the entire airport.

Investigation carried out by the Indian police has revealed more details.

Indian Police said the four men “had been in touch with a man named Abu in Pakistan through social media”.

Indian Police added that Abu encouraged them to carry out a terror attack in India.

India’s The Hindu reported that the four Sri Lankans who were arrested, belong to the National Thawheed Jamaath organization.

The National Thawheed Jamaath organization is the group that was led by Zaharan Hasheem, who carried out the brutal Easter Sunday terror attacks in Sri Lanka in 2019.

Indian detectives suspect that the group may have been planning to carry out an attack at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, which is hosting the IPL games.

The Indian media also reported that the ISIS terrorists planned to assassinate Senior BJP leaders Nubur Sharma, Rajah Singh, and Updesh Rana.

The Indian media reported that details with regard to these plots were uncovered when extracting information from the mobile phones used by these suspects.

Police said after scanning their mobile phones, they found photographs of some weapons and location data of Nanachiloda near Ahmedabad.

The Gujarat ATS later recovered three Pakistani pistols and 20 cartridges, as indicated in the photographs, from Nanachiloda area.

Moreover, the ISIS flag also was recovered, and the detained Sri Lankans disclosed that they were instructed to raise the flag after carrying out the attacks.

The Indian Police added that Abu encouraged them to carry out a terror attack in India, and that they were so radicalized that they also agreed to suicide bombing, as the Pakistani resident Abu also gave them 400,000 in Sri Lankan currency.

Police said after scanning their mobile phones, they found photographs of some weapons and location data of Nanachiloda near Ahmedabad.

The security at the Ahmedabad airport has been increased as the four Sri Lankan men have been detained at an undisclosed location.

(News1st) (This story, originally published by News1st has not been edited by SLM staff)

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Let’s build a nation rooted in historical heritage (Pics)

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President Anura Kumara Dissanayake stated that a society cannot progress without a meaningful connection to its historic heritage and that the nation’s development path must be chosen accordingly.

The President made these remarks while addressing a ceremonial gathering yesterday (July 10) afternoon at the historic Ruhunu Kataragama sacred site.  

Earlier in the day, President Dissanayake visited the sacred grounds of Kataragama, participated in religious observances and later paid a courtesy call on the Venerable Kobawaka Dhamminda Nayaka Thera, the Chief Incumbent of the historic Kirivehera Rajamaha Viharaya, inquiring about his well-being and engaging in a brief discussion.

The President also attended the final Randoli Maha Perahera (Golden Chariot Grand Procession) of the annual Esala Festival at the Ruhunu Kataragama Maha Devalaya, where he witnessed the ceremonial placement of the sacred relic casket upon the relic bearing tusker.  

Addressing the gathering, President Dissanayake further emphasised that a nation can only move forward by maintaining continuity with its historic heritage. He noted that every developed country in the world has achieved progress by preserving its historical legacy and building upon it, stressing that Sri Lanka, too, must choose a development path anchored in its heritage.

The President highlighted that Buddhism played a pivotal role in transforming our society into a cultured civilisation and that cultural festivals like this help revive and strengthen the moral and social values of a society often preoccupied with material pursuits.  

He pointed out that the Ruhunu Kataragama Perahera has been held continuously for 2,186 years, spanning nearly a hundred generations and that its survival has been possible due to the deep connection between this cultural ceremony and the lives of the people. The President extended his gratitude to all those, including the Chief Incumbent, who contributed to the success of this year’s procession.  

Among those present at the occasion were Deputy Minister of Trade, Commerce, Food Security and Cooperative Development, R.M. Jayawardena, Governor of the Uva Province, Attorney-at-Law Kapila Jayasekara, Member of Parliament Ruwan Wijeweera, Chairman of the Kataragama Pradeshiya Sabha, Dharmapala Herath and Monaragala District Secretary Pasan Ratnayake.

(President’s Media Division)

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Charges against Keheliya & others postponed

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The Colombo Permanent High Court Trial-at-Bar has postponed the formal serving of charges against former Health Minister Keheliya Rambukwella and 12 others to Sep. 16, citing delays in the printing of annexures required to accompany the chargesheets.

Deputy Solicitor General Lakmini Girihagama, appearing for the prosecution, informed the court that while the chargesheets had already been filed, the annexures had not yet been submitted due to printing delays. She noted that it would cost approximately Rs. 866,565 to print the annexures for each accused and that the documents for all twelve defendants are yet to be prepared.

The Government Printer has indicated that it would take about 21 days to complete the printing. Therefore, the prosecution requested the court to reschedule the case accordingly. The court granted the request and fixed the next hearing for Sep. 16.

The Attorney General has filed 13 charges against the accused, including allegations of conspiring to fraudulently misappropriate Rs. 1.444 billion in public funds by supplying 6,195 vials of human immunoglobulin and non-pharmaceutical substances such as Ritopsimap to the Ministry of Health’s Medical Supplies Division.

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UK’s relaxed trade rules to boost SL exports

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The Government of the United Kingdom (UK) has unveiled a package of reforms to simplify imports from developing countries like Sri Lanka after upgrades to the Developing Countries Trading Scheme (DCTS).

The changes, announced as part of the UK’s wider Trade for Development offer, aim to support economic growth in partner countries, including Sri Lanka, while helping UK businesses and consumers access high-quality, affordable goods.

New measures include simplifying rules of origin, enabling more goods from countries such as Sri Lanka, Nigeria, and the Philippines can enter the UK tariff-free, even when using components from across Asia and Africa.

These changes are expected to be in place by early 2026.

This move strengthens Sri Lanka’s position in its second-largest apparel market, supporting exports, jobs, and economic growth.

The British High Commissioner to Sri Lanka, Andrew Patrick, said: “This is a win for the Sri Lankan garment sector, and for UK consumers. With the UK being the second largest export market and garments making up over 60% of that trade, we know manufacturers here will welcome this announcement.

“We want Sri Lanka to improve the utilisation of the UK’s Developing Countries Trading Scheme for a wider range of goods, not just garments. With the Sri Lankan government’s ambition to grow exports, and with the simplification of rules of origin for other sectors too, we strongly encourage more exporters to explore how they can benefit from the preferences offered by the DCTS. The UK remains committed to working towards creating shared prosperity for both our countries.”

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