Youth threatened to kill President remanded

A 19-year-old individual was apprehended on charges of posting a threatening message about President Ranil Wickremesinghe on Facebook.

They were brought before the Colombo Chief Magistrate’s Court and ordered to be remanded until September 8. The suspect, who resides in Eppawala, was detained by the CID due to suspicions arising before the President’s planned visit to the Thambuttegama and Eppawala regions on September 07.

During the court proceedings, the CID informed the court that they were conducting an investigation to determine whether there is any connection between this incident and an army soldier from Eppawala who had fled with a T-56 weapon from the Kilinochchi Army Camp. The suspect in question had purportedly posted on Facebook, suggesting the presence of a potential sniper ahead of the President’s scheduled visit to the Eppawala area on September 7.