Sri Lanka nabs ISIS handler Gerard Pushparaja

Sri Lankan Police have arrested Gerard Pushparaja Osman, the suspected handler of four nationals recently detained in India for alleged links to the banned Islamic State (ISIS) group, according to a media report.

 

The Criminal Investigation Department in Colombo arrested Osman, the Daily Mirror reported. The arrest follows an announcement by Sri Lankan Police offering a cash reward of Rs. 2 million for credible information on Osman's whereabouts.

 

The Gujarat Anti-Terrorist Squad arrested four Sri Lankans at Ahmedabad airport for their alleged connections to ISIS. The four men had flown on an Indigo flight from Colombo to Chennai on May 19.

 

Sri Lankan security forces believe that the 46-year-old Osman acted as the handler for the four arrested nationals. Last month, Sri Lankan authorities launched a high-powered operation to investigate the four individuals detained in Gujarat.