Saudi scholar’s arrest in Sri Lanka sparks concerns of Wahhabi influence

Authorities in Sri Lanka have arrested a Saudi-educated preacher over links with the suspected mastermind of bombings last month, throwing a spotlight on the role of Salafi-Wahhabi terrorism in South Asia.

Several bomb attacks hit churches and luxury hotels in the Sri Lankan capital of Colombo and two other cities on April 21, killing at least 253 people.

Sri Lankan police found the Nations Thawahid Jaman (NTJ) of having plotted the terrorist act and the group’s founder, Zahran Hashim, of having masterminded the blasts. Hashim blew himself up at a hotel in Colombo on the day of the carnage.

On Saturday, police announced the apprehension of Mohamed Aliyar, who is the 60-year-old founder of a religious center in Zahran's hometown of Kattankudy on Sri Lanka's eastern shores.

"Information has been revealed that the suspect arrested had a close relationship with ... Zahran and had been operating financial transactions," the statement said.

Police said Aliyar was "involved" with training in the southern town of Hambantota for the group of bombers who attacked hotels and churches on Easter.

Reports said Aliyar founded the center in Kattankudy in 1990, a year after he graduated from the Imam Muhammad ibn Saud Islamic University in Riyadh.

The education reportedly marked a key moment in the spread of Salafi and Wahhabi doctrine in Kattankudy and the center was partly funded by Saudi and Kuwaiti donors, according to a plaque outside.

SS