UK Asylum Bid by Easter Attacks Suspect Ignites Controversy

 The Telegraph newspaper in Britain has reported that an individual suspected of involvement in the series of bomb attacks that occurred on Easter Sunday in Sri Lanka in 2019 is seeking political asylum in the UK. 
Although he is said to be a Muslim national, his identity has not been revealed by the newspaper.

The Sri Lankan suspect, who was arrested and questioned in connection with the attack that claimed the lives of 269 people, has won an appeal for a reconsideration of his asylum application, which was initially rejected by the UK Home Office. His identity has not been revealed, and he has been granted anonymity. He left Sri Lanka in 2022 while he was out on bail after being arrested in connection with the attacks.

The series of attacks, which killed a large number of people including six British nationals, targeted luxury hotels and churches. He arrived in Britain in September 2022 and applied for political asylum a month later. Testifying before the Immigration Tribunal, he stated that after he left the country, the Sri Lankan police visited his family home, and he fears he would face harassment if he returned to Sri Lanka. However, he vehemently denies the terrorism charges against him.

His and his wife's asylum application was initially rejected by the British Home Office on the grounds that he was suspected of involvement in terrorist activities. However, in an appeal he filed before an Upper Immigration Tribunal, it was confirmed that legal errors had occurred in the previous hearing. Deputy Upper Tribunal Judge Claire Burns ruled that the previous judge had failed to correctly assess that the warrant for the suspect's arrest was issued after he had left the country, and that he was out on bail. For this reason, his case has been ordered to be re-heard from the beginning.

The suspect stated that he was arrested and questioned on January 5, 2022, and released after paying a large bribe. The Islamic armed group known as National Thowheeth Jama'ath (NTJ) is believed to have been behind these suicide bombings. Among the British nationals who died in these attacks were Amita Nicholson and her two children, Lorraine Campbell, Bill Harrop, and Dr. Sally Bradley. These foreign nationals were killed in major hotels such as the Shangri-La and Cinnamon Grand in Colombo.

This incident is reported against the backdrop of British Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood announcing extensive reforms to the country's asylum system. New laws empower ministers to make asylum status temporary and to return migrants to their home countries when deemed safe. The government is also taking steps to limit the ability of illegal immigrants and foreign criminals to fight deportation using human rights laws.

Commenting on the suspect's case, a spokesperson for the British Home Office stated that the government rejected this asylum application to prevent a suspected terrorist from entering British territory. He also emphasized that they would strongly defend that decision in court. The government further stated that it is working to prevent Britain from becoming an attractive destination for illegal immigrants by reforming human rights laws and addressing weaknesses in the appeals system.