Zahran Hashim
Zahran Hashim | |
|---|---|
සහ්රාන් හාෂිම් | |
| Born | Kattankudy, Sri Lanka |
| Died | 26 April 2019 Colombo, Sri Lanka |
| Cause of death | Suicide bombing during police raid |
| Organization | National Thowheeth Jama'ath (NTJ) |
| Known for | Mastermind of the 2019 Sri Lanka Easter bombings |
Mohamed Hashim Mohamed Zahran (සහ්රාන් හාෂිම්; died 26 April 2019), known as Zahran Hashim, was a Sri Lankan Islamist militant and the founder of the 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 hotels that killed 269 people and injured approximately 500.
Early life and education
Mohamed Hashim Mohamed Zahran[1][2][3] was born in Kattankudy, a small seaside town in eastern Sri Lanka, one of four children. The family was poor; his father sold packets of food on the street, and was reputed to be a petty thief.[3]
Hashim attended Jamiathul Falah Arabic College in Colombo, but was expelled in 2005 as he believed that the school was teaching a version of Islam that was too moderate.[3]
Radical preaching
Hashim joined the Dharul Athar mosque in 2006, and was on its management committee for three years before they had a disagreement. The committee banned him from preaching for three months in 2009.[3]
In 2012, he founded a mosque of his own.[3] He began engaging in extremism in 2013, although only started preaching violent extremism in 2016.[4] He began releasing online videos preaching radical Islam, calling for jihad and threatening bloodshed.[3]
Hashim founded a hardline Islamist group, National Thowheeth Jama'ath (NTJ), a militant splinter group of another group, the Sri Lanka Thowheed Jamath. (According to the BBC, he may have been expelled from the NTJ owing to making hate speeches, and it is possible that he founded yet another group.)[5]
2019 Easter bombings and death
Hashim led a local militant group that pledged allegiance to the Islamic State (ISIS).[6] The group carried out coordinated suicide bombings on churches and hotels on Easter Sunday 2019, with Hashim named as the primary planner of the Easter Sunday attacks.[3] The attacks targeted three churches and three luxury hotels in Colombo, Negombo, and Batticaloa.[6]
Apart from the 9 attackers, 269 people were killed in the attacks,[7][8][9] and more than 500 were injured.[10] After the bombings, the propaganda arm of ISIS released a video in which Hashim had appeared, pledging allegiance to the group.[6]
On 26 April 2019, there was a shootout at a "safe house" in Sainthamaruthu in Ampara District on the east coast, in which at least 15 people, three of whom wore suicide vests, including 6 children, were shot dead, and Hashim's wife and daughter were wounded.[1][2]
On the same day, during a security forces raid on a safe house in the Colombo suburb of Dematagoda, Hashim and several associates detonated suicide vests, killing themselves. His identity was later confirmed through DNA testing.[11][12][13]
Personal life
Aged 23, Hashim married a 14-year-old girl from a small town near Colombo took her to his home town of Kattankudy.[3] They had a daughter.[1][2]
His sister, Mohamed Hashim Mathaniya, was involved in assisting law enforcement after the bombing.[1][2]
See also
References
- ^ a b c d Dhungana, Shuvam (27 April 2019). "Relatives of Sri Lanka suicide bombings mastermind wounded in gunbattle". The Himalayan Times. Archived from the original on 28 April 2019. Retrieved 26 February 2026.
- ^ a b c d "Sri Lanka Bans Groups Suspected in Easter Attacks". Voice of America. 27 April 2019. Archived from the original on 13 July 2025. Retrieved 26 February 2026.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Lasseter, Tom; Navaratnam, Shri (25 April 2019). "'Black sheep' – The mastermind of Sri Lanka's Easter Sunday bombs". Reuters. Retrieved 26 February 2026.
- ^ "Zahran was engaged in extremism from 2013: DIG Nalaka". Daily Mirror. 5 June 2019. Retrieved 26 February 2026.
- ^ "Sri Lanka attacks: Who are National Thowheed Jamath?". BBC Home. 22 April 2019. Archived from the original on 4 January 2026. Retrieved 26 February 2026.
- ^ a b c "Sri Lanka bombings: Who are the National Thowheed Jamath?". Al Jazeera. 25 April 2019.
- ^ "Sri Lanka marks Easter Sunday attack anniversary". BBC News. 21 April 2020. Archived from the original on 21 April 2020. Retrieved 22 April 2020.
- ^ "Sri lanka bombings executive summary report". Archived from the original on 4 June 2020. Retrieved 22 April 2020.
- ^ "2019 Easter Attacks Victim Dies Five Years After Tragedy; Cardinal Pays Final Respects". News First. 29 May 2024. Archived from the original on 29 May 2024. Retrieved 29 May 2024.
- ^ "Death toll from Easter Sunday attacks climbs to 321". Ada Derana. 23 April 2019. Archived from the original on 23 April 2019. Retrieved 23 April 2019.
- ^ "Sri Lanka Easter blasts: Suspected mastermind Zahran Hashim spent time in South India, says top military source". The Hindu. 26 April 2019. Retrieved 26 February 2026.
- ^ "DNA test confirms Zahran Hashim was killed in Shangri-La bombing". Ada Derana. 26 February 2026. Archived from the original on 16 May 2025. Retrieved 26 February 2026.
- ^ Hummel, Kristina (29 May 2019). "Terrorism on the Teardrop Island: Understanding the Easter 2019 Attacks in Sri Lanka". Combating Terrorism Center at West Point. Retrieved 26 February 2026. Citations 4 & 13.