Pivithuru Hela Urumaya leader Udaya Gammanpila yesterday alleged that the Government is planning to have him arrested on 27 March to prevent the launch of his upcoming book, which he claims will expose the “mastermind” behind the 2019 Easter Sunday attacks.

Speaking at a media briefing, Gammanpila said the book is scheduled for release on 31 March and suggested that efforts are underway to obstruct its publication. He pointed to recent remarks by Cabinet Spokesperson Nalinda Jayatissa, which he interpreted as indicating a potential arrest before the launch.

“From the Minister’s statement, it is clear that the Government is preparing to arrest me in order to prevent the release of my book,” Gammanpila said. He noted that Jayatissa had stated at a press briefing that he might not be able to proceed with the book launch if taken into custody beforehand.

Responding to the allegations, Jayatissa had said: “If there are no issues regarding the case scheduled for 27 March against Udaya Gammanpila, he may be able to make some kind of revelation.”

Gammanpila challenged the Government to act on the alleged plan, saying, “I challenge Minister Nalinda Jayatissa to have me arrested on 27 March.” He added that previous attempts to arrest him had failed, claiming, “They have tried to arrest me six times before, but all those attempts were unsuccessful.”

At the time of publication, the Government had not issued an official response to Gammanpila’s latest allegations.