Did not know Zaharan was a terrorist - Hizbullah

Former Governor of the Eastern Province M.L.A.M. Hizbullah who was giving evidence before the Parliamentary Select Committee looking into the Easter Sunday terror attacks has stated that he did not know that he was a terrorist.
The former Governor who was summoned to appear before the committee today (13) took the witness stand after the Secretary to the Ministry of Public Administration Mr J.J. Ratnasiri concluded his testimony.
The former Governor was questioned regarding videos of a controversial statement he had made during a public gathering in the aftermath of the terror attacks which targeted Catholic churches and hotels.
Responding to questions regarding Zahran Hashim, the leader of the National Thowheed Jamath (NTJ) which is responsible for the attacks, Hizbullah admitted that he had met Zahran once a long while back.
However, he said that later Zahran and his group worked against him, criticized him and attempted to ‘destroy’ him. He further stated that had he known that Zahran was a terrorist he would have filed a complaint against him.
The former minister said that he met Zahran in 2015 ahead of the election and that a number of election candidates met the latter.
He also claimed that even former army cadres were connected to Zahran’s group who he said had even attacked his supporters.