Mohamed Ibrahim Mohamed Naufer, the primary defendant in the Easter Sunday terror attacks case, rejected all allegations against him during his court defence statement, asserting his confession was obtained under duress and that he had no involvement in the attacks.
Mohamed Ibrahim Mohamed Naufer, known as Naufar Moulavi and the first accused in the Easter Sunday terror attacks case, delivered a comprehensive denial of charges before a three-judge trial-at-bar in Colombo on Monday. Facing 940 charges among the 23,270 total charges filed against 25 defendants, Naufer rejected allegations that he conspired with suicide bombers including Zaharan Hashim and others to promote extremism and carry out the 2019 attacks.
In his two-hour defence statement, Naufer challenged the validity of his confession recorded by the Criminal Investigation Department, claiming it was obtained through coercion. He told the court that CID officials assaulted him while in custody, recorded statements without his voluntary consent, and later produced documents allegedly containing his signature without his knowledge. He stated that only his name in the confession was accurate, describing the remainder as entirely false.
Naufer also presented an alternative narrative regarding extremist activities in the years preceding the attacks. He alleged that between 2015 and 2016, the National Thowheed Jamaath organisation carried out attacks on Muslim-owned properties, damaged Islamic places of worship, and desecrated religious materials in broad daylight. He claimed security forces and intelligence services took no preventive action, suggesting possible state involvement. Naufer maintained he had no connection to Zaharan Hashim from 2007 until 2017, knowing him only through a distant family relation's marriage.
The court proceedings continued with five additional accused presenting their defence statements from the dock on Monday. The case has been progressing since prosecution evidence concluded the previous week. Naufer concluded his statement by requesting acquittal and release from all charges.
