After tip-off, Sri Lankan police search Chennai flight over Pahalgam attack suspect

The Sri Lankan police on Saturday searched a flight arriving here from Chennai after being tipped-off that a suspect linked to the Pahalgam terror attack could be on board, a police spokesperson said here.

A statement from the national carrier SriLankan Airlines said its flight arrived at Colombo’s Bandaranaike International Airport from Chennai at 11.59 am and underwent a comprehensive security inspection upon arrival.

“The search was carried out in coordination with local authorities following an alert from the Chennai Area Control Centre regarding a suspect wanted in India who was believed to be on board,” the statement said.

The aircraft was thoroughly inspected and subsequently cleared for further operations, it added. On April 22, terrorists killed 26 people, mostly tourists, in Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalgam. Indian authorities have identified five terrorists — including three Pakistani nationals — behind the massacre in Pahalgam.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on April 24 vowed to punish the terrorists behind the Pahalgam terror attack and those part of the conspiracy beyond their imagination, asserting that the country’s enemies targeted not merely unarmed tourists but dared to attack India's soul.

In a high-level meeting with the top defence brass on April 29, Modi asserted that the armed forces have “complete operational freedom” to decide on the mode, targets and timing of India's response to the terror attack, according to government sources.