Zahran Hashim
Zahran Hashim (සහ්රාන් හාෂිම්; 6 January 1988 – 26 April 2019) was a Sri Lankan Islamic extremist, the founder and leader of the militant organization National Thowheeth Jama'ath (NTJ). He was identified by Sri Lankan authorities as the mastermind behind the 2019 Sri Lanka Easter bombings, a series of coordinated suicide attacks on churches and luxury hotels on 21 April 2019 that killed 269 people and injured approximately 500.[1] Hashim, a radical preacher who studied law, founded the NTJ in the mid-2010s, advocating a strict Salafi jihadist ideology and pledging allegiance to the Islamic State (ISIS).[2] He planned the bombings as an act of religious terrorism against Christians and foreign tourists. Hashim died on 26 April 2019, detonating a suicide vest during a police raid on his safe house in Colombo.[3]
Zahran Hashim | |
|---|---|
| සහ්රාන් හාෂිම් | |
| Born | 6 January 1988 |
| Died | 26 April 2019 (aged 31) Colombo, Sri Lanka |
| Cause of death | Suicide attack (improvised explosive device) |
| Citizenship | Sri Lanka |
| Organization | National Thowheeth Jama'ath (NTJ) |
| Known for | Mastermind of the 2019 Sri Lanka Easter bombings |
Early life and background
Zahran Hashim was born on 6 January 1988 in Colombo, Sri Lanka, into a family of spice traders. He studied law and also engaged in Islamic preaching.
Leadership of NTJ
In the mid-2010s, Hashim founded and led the radical Islamist group National Thowheeth Jama'ath (NTJ), which advocated a strict interpretation of Salafi ideology and was influenced by the propaganda of the Islamic State (ISIS).
Role in the 2019 Easter bombings
Sri Lankan investigators named Hashim as the primary planner and ideologue of the coordinated suicide bombings on churches and hotels on Easter Sunday, 21 April 2019, which killed 269 people and injured approximately 500. Prior to the attacks, he released a video pledging allegiance to ISIS.
Death
On 26 April 2019, during a security forces raid on a safe house in the Colombo suburb of Dematagoda, Hashim and several associates detonated their suicide vests, killing themselves. His identity was later confirmed through DNA testing.
See also
References
- ^ "'Black sheep' - The mastermind of Sri Lanka's Easter Sunday bombs". Reuters. 25 April 2019. Retrieved 2024-05-20.
- ^ "Sri Lanka bombings: Who are the National Thowheed Jamath?". Al Jazeera. 25 April 2019. Retrieved 2024-05-20.
- ^ "Sri Lanka Easter blasts: Suspected mastermind Zahran Hashim spent time in South India, says top military source". The Hindu. 25 April 2019. Retrieved 2024-05-20.