Colombo: A top Sri Lankan police official was arrested on Thursday over a suspected plot to kill President Maithripala Sirisena, a police spokesman said.The alleged plot briefly threatened to cause tension between Sri Lanka and India, after an Indian newspaper report that Sirisena had accused India’s intelligence services of involvement – a claim New Delhi and Colombo have both denied.“The Criminal Investigation Division of police today arrested Nalaka De Silva after five days of questioning him,” police spokesman Ruwan Gunasekara said.Also read: Modi Meets Sri Lankan PM, Says Unhappy With ‘Slow’ Progress of India-Funded ProjectsGunasekara said Silva was charged with plotting to kill the president, several senior police officials and a former defence secretary.Magistrates ordered Silva, a deputy inspector general of police, be detained until November 7.A police informant made the allegations against Silva in a news conference. Investigators are seeking access to deleted data from the informant’s mobile phone with the help of Huawei after a court granted permission to request the company’s help.Silva’s lawyers were not immediately available for comment.(Reuters)
