9 Tamils arrested in Grandpass, Colombo

[TamilNet, Sunday, 27 January 2008, 15:23 GMT]
Nine Tamil civilians were taken into custody by the security forces in a cordon and search operation conducted in Grandpass area in Colombo Sunday following the discovery of two suicide jackets with explosives found abandoned from a latrine pit Saturday morning. The security forces said they received a tip off by members of the Vigilant Committee enabling them to recover the suicide jackets.

The arrested are now being detained at Grandpass police station and are being interrogated as they failed to prove their identity and to furnish satisfactory reasons for their stay in the location, police sources said.

The owner of the house where the latrine pit is located was taken into custody Saturday, immediately after the discovery of suicide jackets, police said.