Former Defence Secretary Hemasiri Fernando (right) with former IGP Pujith Jayasundara after being acquitted over allegations against the Easter bombings – P

: Sri Lanka’s High Court on Friday acquitted two top officials accused of “crimes against humanity” for failing to prevent the 2019 Easter Sunday bombings that killed 279 people.

The state had indicted the two men in November for failing to act on early warnings from an Indian intelligence agency that local jihadists were planning a string of suicide bombings in April 2019.

The three-judge panel dismissed all 855 charges against Hemasiri Fernando, then secretary to the ministry of defence, as well as then inspector general of police Pujith Jayasundara.