Firefighters battle flames at a highrise building which caught fire after a suicide bomb attack on the nearby Central Bank Building, on January 31, 1996 in Colombo, Sri Lanka. At least 42 people are confirmed dead, 74 have been admitted to hospitals with serious injuries, and hundred are believed to be trapped under the debris of the Central Bank Building. (Photo by SENA VIDANAGAMA / AFP via Getty Images)
Former LTTE members, who were found guilty for the bomb attack on the Central Bank of Sri Lanka (CBSL) on January 31, 1996, have been granted presidential pardon.
Accordingly, former LTTE member Selliah Navaratnam who had been sentenced to 200 years in prison and S. Shanmugarajah, who was sentenced to life in prison have been pardoned and released from prison on Tuesday (July 18), according to the Department of Prisons.
Selliah Navaratnam is currently 69 years old, while Shanmugarajah is aged 56.
The terror attack which left 91 individuals including 41 CBSL officers dead, 08 CBSL officers totally blind, 11 CBSL officials partially paralysed, and few hundreds wounded, was carried out using a lorry containing about 440 pounds of high explosives which were crashed through the main gate of the Central Bank, followed by a suicide bombing that tore through the bank and damaged eight other buildings nearby.
