Sri Lanka court convicts 14 over deadly Easter bombings

Nine people were acquitted, while another defendant was found guilty of only some of the charges, the court said.Sri Lanka’s High Court has convicted 15 of the 24 men accused of being involved in the 2019 Easter Sunday bombings, which killed 279 people, including 45 foreigners, and injured more than 500.After a five-year trial, the three-judge bench on Tuesday found that 14 of the accused were guilty on all charges, which included murder, conspiracy to commit “terrorism” and possessing firearms and explosives under the Prevention of Terrorism Act.A 15th defendant was found guilty of only some of the charges, while nine others were acquitted.All of the accused are from Sri Lanka’s minority Muslim community. Twenty-five men were originally charged, but one defendant died in custody.Among those convicted on all charges was Mohamed Naufar, whom prosecutors identified as the ringleader who provided support to the eight-member squad that carried out the bombings.The presiding judge told a packed courtroom that sentencing would take place later on Tuesday. Dozens of police commandos provided security outside as the verdicts were read.Sri Lanka’s Roman Catholic Church welcomed the convictions. “Finally, we have justice,” Catholic priest Jude Fernando told the AFP news agency. “It has taken a long time to get to this point.”Teresa Fernando, a survivor who suffered head injuries, said no one should have to endure what she had gone through. “We came here today as victims of this attack to receive justice,” she said. “Whatever the court says… we will bow our heads and accept it.”Attack on hotels, churchesThe coordinated bombings in April 2019 were carried out at three luxury hotels and three churches – two of them Catholic and one Protestant.