Afsara Shaheen
In 2024, Sri Lanka’s security landscape remained relatively stable but complex, shaped by a mix of domestic challenges and volatile regional dynamics. While the threat of large-scale terrorism has significantly reduced since the end of the civil war in 2009, concerns persist around sporadic incidents of religious and ethnic tensions, particularly involving extremist elements across communities. No terrorism-linked fatality was recorded in Sri Lanka in 2024.
As of May 2025, Sri Lanka continued to maintain a stable security environment, with no terrorist attacks reported in recent years. According to a report released on March 5, 2025, the country has been recognized for its low terrorism impact, ranking 100th out of 163 countries, with a score of zero in the 2025 Global Terrorism Index, placing it among the safest nations globally in terms of terrorist threats.
On May 3, 2025, Sri Lankan authorities conducted a security sweep in Colombo’s Bandaranaike International Airport on a flight arriving from Chennai in India, after receiving a tip-off about a suspect linked to the Pahalgam terrorist attack in India. The aircraft was thoroughly searched, and no arrests were made. Nevertheless, the Sri Lankan government reiterated its commitment to national security, emphasizing that it will not allow any faction to use the country’s airspace or territory to attack another nation.
Six terrorists were arrested in five separate incidents in 2024, including:
November 30: A British Tamil citizen was arrested on arrival at Sri Lanka’s Bandaranaike International Airport, for suspected links with fundraising for the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE).
June 15: An accomplice linked with four suspected Islamic State (IS) operatives arrested in India, was arrested during an operation conducted by the Special Task Force (STF) near the Orugodawatta bridge at Wellampitiya in the Colombo District of the Western Province.
May 31: The Criminal Investigations Department (CID) and Terrorism Investigation Division (TID) of the Sri Lanka Police arrested a wanted suspect, Osman Pushparaja Gerard, in a joint operation conducted in Colombo City. Gerard was suspected to have coordinated the movement of four suspected IS operatives from Sri Lanka to India.
May 29: The Sri Lankan Police arrested two suspected IS operatives in the Bangadeniya area of Chilaw City in the Puttalam District of the North Western Province.
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