Colombo, May 3 — A SriLankan Airlines flight from Chennai was subjected to a full security sweep at Colombo’s Bandaranaike International Airport on Saturday after Indian aviation authorities issued an alert about a possible suspect connected to the Pahalgam attack.
The flight touched down at 11:59 a.m., the airline said in a statement.
“The search was carried out in coordination with local authorities following an alert from the Chennai Area Control Centre regarding a suspect wanted in India who was believed to be on board,” it said.
The aircraft was inspected and later cleared for further operations.
Sri Lankan police confirmed the search and said the alert was acted upon due to its reported link to the Pahalgam attack, in which 26 people — mostly tourists — were gunned down in a brazen assault that shocked the country.
Investigators in India have named five suspects, including three Pakistani nationals, as being involved in the attack.
The attack has flamed India - Paksitan tensions and strained diplomatic ties between the nuclear rival neighbours.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, speaking on April 24, said those behind the killings would face consequences “beyond their imagination.”
“This was not just an attack on unarmed tourists, it was an attack on the soul of India,” Modi said during a public address.
Tensions escalated further after a high-level security meeting on April 29, where Modi told military leaders they had “complete operational freedom” to choose the mode, timing, and scale of any response, according to official sources.