Overview

Yusuf Mohamed Ibrahim is the father of Ilham and Imsath Ibrahim, two of the suicide bombers who carried out the Easter Sunday attacks across Sri Lanka on April 21, 2019.Samanth Subramanian, “Two Wealthy Sri Lankan Brothers Became Suicide Bombers. But Why?,” New York Times, February 24, 2021, https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/02/magazine/sri-lanka-brothers-bombing.html. The series of bombings targeted three churches and three luxury hotels, killing 267 people and wounding 500 others.Iqbal Athas and Helen Regan, “Sri Lanka Easter bombings investigation calls for former President to be prosecuted,” CNN, February 24, 2021, https://www.cnn.com/2021/02/24/asia/sri-lanka-easter-attack-report-sirisena-intl-hnk/index.html; Morgan Winsor and Dragana Jovanovic, “ISIS claims responsibility for Sri Lanka Easter bombings that killed over 350,” ABC News, April 23, 2019, https://abcnews.go.com/International/isis-claims-responsibility-sri-lanka-easter-bombings-killed/story?id=62570339; “Sri Lanka attacks: 23,000 charges filed against suspects as trial begins,” BBC News, November 24, 2021, https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-59397642. Ibrahim’s sons died in the attacks, and Ibrahim was arrested a couple of days later on charges in connection to the attacks. On November 23, 2021, Ibrahim went on trial with 24 other men accused of masterminding the bombings.Uditha Jayasinghe, “Sri Lanka begins trial of 25 accused of plotting 2019 Easter bombings,” Reuters, November 23, 2021, https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/sri-lanka-begins-trial-25-accused-plotting-2019-easter-bombings-2021-11-23.

Ibrahim reportedly came to Colombo as a boy from a village and eventually became one of Sri Lanka’s leading spice exporters. The company built a fortune and owned land all over Colombo.Samanth Subramanian, “Two Wealthy Sri Lankan Brothers Became Suicide Bombers. But Why?,” New York Times, February 24, 2021, https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/02/magazine/sri-lanka-brothers-bombing.html.

According to media sources, Ibrahim’s son Ilham openly expressed extremist ideologies and had gone to meetings of National Thowheed Jamath, a local Islamist group suspected of involvement in planning the attacks. Ibrahim’s other son, was reportedly more moderate and had been generous to struggling households in his community.“Probe into Sri Lanka blasts reveals dark secrets of millionaire businessman Mohammed Yusuf Ibrahim's family,” Reuters, April 25, 2019, https://www.firstpost.com/world/probe-into-sri-lanka-blasts-reveals-dark-secrets-of-millionaire-businessman-mohammed-yusuf-ibrahims-family-6514391.html.

On April 21, 2019, suicide bombers launched a coordinated series of attacks on three Catholic churches in Colombo, Negombo, and Batticaloa, as well as three luxury hotels in Colombo.“Sri Lanka Attacks: What We Know and Don’t Know,” New York Times, April 24, 2019, https://www.nytimes.com/2019/04/24/world/asia/sri-lanka-easter-bombing-attacks.html. The attacks killed 267 people and wounded 500 others. Most of the victims were from Sri Lanka’s minority Christian community. That evening, an improvised explosive device was defused near Colombo’s Bandaranaike International Airport. Police found 87 detonators in a private terminal of the main bus station in Colombo, and a controlled explosion was carried out on a van near the Roman Catholic St. Anthony’s church also in Colombo.Jenni Marsh, Julia Hollingsworth, Bianca Britton and Barbara Starr, “Sri Lanka fears international terror link to Easter Sunday atrocities,” CNN, April 23, 2019, https://edition.cnn.com/2019/04/22/asia/sri-lanka-investigation-easter-attacks/index.html. Along with countless Sri Lankans, the victims included more than a dozen foreign nationals from the United States, Australia, the United Kingdom, China, the Netherlands, India, Portugal, Japan, and Turkey.“Sri Lanka Attacks: What We Know and Don’t Know,” New York Times, April 24, 2019, https://www.nytimes.com/2019/04/24/world/asia/sri-lanka-easter-bombing-attacks.html.

Shortly after the attacks, the Sri Lankan government admitted that it had not responded to warnings from U.S. and Indian intelligence agencies about a possible attack.Iqbal Athas and Helen Regan, “Sri Lanka Easter bombings investigation calls for former President to be prosecuted,” CNN, February 24, 2021, https://www.cnn.com/2021/02/24/asia/sri-lanka-easter-attack-report-sirisena-intl-hnk/index.html; Morgan Winsor and Dragana Jovanovic, “ISIS claims responsibility for Sri Lanka Easter bombings that killed over 350,” ABC News, April 23, 2019, https://abcnews.go.com/International/isis-claims-responsibility-sri-lanka-easter-bombings-killed/story?id=62570339; “Sri Lanka attacks: 23,000 charges filed against suspects as trial begins,” BBC News, November 24, 2021, https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-59397642. The alleged ringleader of the attack, Zahran Hashim was an Islamist preacher, who was known to the authorities and the local Muslim community. Hashim—who believed that he was following in the footsteps of Tamim Ahmed Chowdhury, the emir of ISIS in Bangladesh—killed himself after detonating an explosive at the Shangri-La hotel in Colombo. Chowdhury, a Bangladeshi Canadian allegedly masterminded the July 2015 attack at the Gulchand Café in Dhaka, Bangladesh which killed 29 people. According to media sources, weeks before the attack, India’s intelligence service warned Sri Lanka authorities that Zahran was planning an attack on churches and hotels.Iqbal Athas and Helen Regan, “Sri Lanka Easter bombings investigation calls for former President to be prosecuted,” CNN, February 24, 2021, https://www.cnn.com/2021/02/24/asia/sri-lanka-easter-attack-report-sirisena-intl-hnk/index.html.

On April 23, ISIS claimed responsibility for the attacks, releasing a video of suspects pledging allegiance to ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.Deborah Haynes, “Wealthy and well-educated: The bombers behind the Sri Lanka attacks,” Sky News, May 1, 2019, https://news.sky.com/story/wealthy-and-well-educated-the-bombers-behind-the-sri-lanka-attacks-11708206. ISIS also released a statement claiming the attackers were “among the fighters of the Islamic State.” According to media sources, multiple U.S. sources briefed on the investigation believed ISIS was involved in the Sri Lanka attacks in a supportive capacity but were uncertain to what degree.Morgan Winsor and Dragana Jovanovic, “ISIS claims responsibility for Sri Lanka Easter bombings that killed over 350,” ABC News, April 23, 2019, https://abcnews.go.com/International/isis-claims-responsibility-sri-lanka-easter-bombings-killed/story?id=62570339.

Ibrahim was arrested on April 25, 2019, on suspicion of aiding and abetting his sons.“BREAKING: Sri Lanka’s Cinnamon Grand Hotel bomber was previously arrested and released, official says,” CNN, April 25, 2019, https://edition.cnn.com/asia/live-news/sri-lanka-bombings-latest-day-4-intl-dle/h_7266c181fa76fafe7aca0b779ef577b3. The perpetrators reportedly came from the top levels of Sri Lankan society. On November 23, 2021, Ibrahim stood trial with 24 other men accused of masterminding the 2019 Easter bombings. More than 23,000 charges have been filed against the suspects, and 1,215 witnesses have been called to testify. Among the charges were conspiring to murder, aiding and abetting the attacks, and collecting arms and ammunition. According to the defendants lawyers, the trial is expected to last for years given the large number of charges and witnesses. While all of the suicide bombers who carried out the attacks were killed in the explosions, their associates and relatives stand accused of being involved in planning and masterminding the terrorist attacks.“Sri Lanka attacks: 23,000 charges filed against suspects as trial begins,” BBC News, November 24, 2021, https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-59397642. Along with Ibrahim, another notable suspect is Mohammad Naufer, a Sri Lankan national who officials say masterminded the attack and is linked to ISIS.Uditha Jayasinghe, “Sri Lanka begins trial of 25 accused of plotting 2019 Easter bombings,” Reuters, November 23, 2021, https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/sri-lanka-begins-trial-25-accused-plotting-2019-easter-bombings-2021-11-23. The trial remains ongoing.