Saturday 7, February 1998 - News

Slave Island bomb kills nine

By Paneetha Ameresekere

Nine persons were killed and seven others were injured when a suspected female suicide bomber blew herself up at a military checkpoint near the Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) Headquarters in Colombo around 5.05 pm yesterday (Friday).

The dead included the woman suicide bomber, two army women soldiers, three airmen and three civilians. Two of the injured have been identified as airmen who had also been manning the checkpoint. The rest of the wounded have been identified as civilians. Another airman who had been on sentry duty escaped unhurt.

"The identity card which was found in the suicide bomber's possession gave her name as Ganeshan Indrani of Vakarai in Batticaloa," security sources said. It gave her date of birth as 1973, they added.

The woman along with the three dead civilians had come in a white Hiace van along Kumaran Ratnam Road (Which is by the SLAF Hqrs) and was proceeding towards Sir Chittampalam A. Gardiner Mawatha when it had been stopped at this checkpoint.

When the occupants including the alleged woman suicide bomber got off from the van for identification, she had blasted herself. Two of her three dead accomplices have been identified as being residents of Batticaloa according to the papers in their possession, while the other dead man, who has been identified as the driver of the vehicle, had in his possession papers which gave his name as Suresh Kumaran.

"The documents found in the van gave the address of the owner as a person at a shop in Colombo," a senior police officer said. Body pieces of the suicide bomber was scattered all over and her face and head which were intact was found a couple of yards away from the blast.

The vehicle in which she and her companions were travelling was severely damaged by the blast. A brief case in the vehicle and the vehicle itself was found to be non-lethal. A private bus which was just behind the damaged van had its wind-screen shattered.

Security sources believe that the woman was targeting a high-up in the military. "She had come during normal office closing hours and this is the time this top brass sometimes leaves office, the spokesman said, adding that the woman's mission was aborted when her vehicle was stopped at the checkpoint.