Sri Lanka arrests Rajapaksa ally over alleged death threat

Sri Lankan police arrested Sagara Kariyawasam, General-Secretary of former president Mahinda Rajapaksa's Sri Lanka Podujana Party, on Monday over an alleged death threat against the police chief.

Police said Kariyawasam was taken into custody after making a statement and was being taken before a magistrate.

At a press conference in Colombo last week, Kariyawasam warned Inspector General of Police Priyantha Weerasooriya that he could be killed if he continued to be partisan, police said. A police official said Weerasooriya “considers this a death threat”.

The arrest is the latest involving associates or relatives of the Rajapaksa political dynasty. President Anura Kumara Dissanayake's government came to power in September 2024 on a promise to crack down on bribery and graft.

Mahinda Rajapaksa faces allegations that he received kickbacks from Airbus over a scrapped aircraft purchase deal. His three children, wife, two brothers and several nephews and nieces are facing charges of money-laundering and stealing state funds.