The Police issued a statement clarifying that it erroneously published a photograph of an American writer alongside the name of one of the suspects wanted in connection with the Easter Sunday explosions.
The Police today released photographs of several suspects wanted in connection with the Easter Sunday attacks. Among them was the picture of an American activist, alongside the name of Abdul Cader Fatima Kadiya, who is named by the Police as a suspect in the attack.
The erroneous picture set off a firestorm on social media as many questioned the grave negligence on the part of Sri Lanka's investigators.
"I have this morning been FALSELY identified by the Sri Lankan government as one of the ISIS terrorists that have committed the Easter attacks in Sri Lanka. What a thing to wake up to! This is obviously completely false and frankly, considering that our communities are already greatly afflicted with issues of surveillance, I don't need more false accusations and scrutiny," Amara Majeed, a US citizen born to Sri Lankan immigrant parents, posted on Facebook, a short while ago.
"Please stop implicating and associating me with these horrific attacks. And next time, be more diligent about releasing such information that has the potential to deeply violate someone's family and community," she also added.
Meanwhile, Sri Lanka Police issued a statement saying the photograph of the writer was a "mistake", but stated that they were looking for a suspect by the name of Abdul Cader Fatima Kadiya.
