No Prior Intelligence Warning on Negombo Prison Violence, Says Acting Prisons Chief

08-Jul-2026

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Acting Commissioner General of Prisons Prasad Hemantha Kumar said prison authorities had received no specific intelligence warning about the large-scale violence that erupted at Negombo Prison.

Speaking at the weekly Cabinet media briefing, he said routine security measures had been in place and that prison officers' intervention had helped minimise further casualties and property damage.

He said multiple investigations are under way by the Police, the Criminal Investigation Department (CID), the Colombo Crime Division, the Department of Prisons and the independent committee appointed by the Government.

The Acting Commissioner General added that the death toll has risen to 27, while several inmates and prison officers remain hospitalised. He defended the use of firearms by prison officers, stating that force was used only after inmates breached security barriers and attempted to escape, posing a serious threat to public safety.