Two individuals who pleaded guilty over the illegal storage of firearms and explosives at the Lactowatta estate in Wanathavilluwa, Puttalam, in 2018 have been sentenced to 10 years of rigorous imprisonment by the Colombo Trial-at-Bar.
The sentences were imposed on Abu Haneefa Mohamed Musif and Ameer Hamza Mohamed Hamas when the case was taken up today (07) before a three-judge bench of the Colombo High Court comprising Judges Lal Ranasinghe Bandara, Rashmi Singappuli and Nayomi Wickramasekara.
The case relates to the discovery of firearms, ammunition and materials used to manufacture explosives allegedly stored at the Lactowatta estate in association with a group that included Zahran Hashim, who later led the 2019 Easter Sunday terror attacks.
The Attorney General had filed indictments against six defendants on 14 counts in connection with the incident.
During investigations in 2018, the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) recovered a stock of nitrate believed to be explosive material, 12 rounds of live ammunition, a firearm, and stocks of nitric acid and urea allegedly intended for the manufacture of explosives. (Newswire)