Venerated Buddhist Monk arrested in Colombo, faces possible assassination by Islamic terrorists

Supporters of the Sri Lankan monk are calling for stronger protection amid alleged assassination threats

October 4, 2026

Gnanasara Thero arrested; followers fear threat to his safety

Gnanasara Thero, a highly venerated monk and founder and leader of Sri Lanka’s Bodu Bala Sena, was arrested last night and has been sent to jail. It is reported that he would be produced in a Colombo court later in the day.

The arrest was in connection with a warrant issued by a Sri Lankan court purportedly in a contempt of court case against the Thero. His run-ins with the law enforcement agencies started when he lambasted the mass killings of Buddhists in the island nation by Islamic terrorists. He reportedly told an audience of Buddhists that “Sri Lanka still has a Sinhala police, a Sinhala army. After today, if a single Muslim or some other minority touches a Sinhalese … it will be their end”.

Though Anura Kumara Dissanayake, the President of Sri Lanka, issued an order of pardon to the Thero in the contempt of court case against the latter, the Supreme Court of the island nation cancelled the presidential order and asked the police to take him into custody. Islamic terrorism has reached its peak in Sri Lanka with many terrorist leaders succeeding in infiltrating into the bureaucracy and judicial system, said a veteran political observer in Colombo.

What has upset the followers of Gnanasara is the death threat faced by him from Islamic terrorists who are likely to assassinate him in jail. The disciples of the Thero are of the view that the Government of India should intervene and ensure the safety of the Thero.

Gnanasara, who was produced before the Magistrate Court in Colombo on Sunday afternoon, has been remanded till Monday. He was arrested from a Buddhist Temple late Saturday night. It was clarified by the Thero’s disciples that the order of pardon was issued during the presidential tenure of Maithripala Sirisena (2015-2019). The sudden move by the ruling dispensation in Colombo to get the presidential pardon cancelled and arrest the monk has led to a major apprehension in the minds of the Buddhist community. The jail to which he has been taken has a number of Islamic terrorists as inmates.

Note:
1. Text in Blue points to additional data on the topic.
2. The views expressed here are those of the author and do not necessarily represent or reflect the views of PGurus.

Reference:

[1] Gnanasara Thero to be produced before court today – Oct 04, 2026, ADA Derana

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