Suicide jacket in toilet pit

by Jayampathy Jayasinghe

A suicide jacket packed with thousands of iron ball bearings and high level explosives and a powerful explosive device was found in a toilet pit at Panahe-watte, Arduruppuweediya yesterday morning, police sources told the Sunday Observer.

A joint police and an army patrol conducted a search and cordon operation in the area after receiving a tip off and found the suicide jacket. A senior police officer told the Sunday Observer that some -body transporting the deadly suicide jacket would have dumped it in a toilet pit after seeing a joint patrol.

Police have questioned several persons in the vicinity where the jacket was found. The suicide jacket would be sent to the Government Analyst for report, police said.

A senior police officer said an LTTE cadre would have obviously used the powerful suicide jacket to assassinate an important State official. Security in Colombo has been tightened following the discovery of the suicide jacket.