2008 Weliveriya bombing

On 6 April 2008, an explosion attributed to a suicide bomber struck the start of a marathon race in Weliweriya, Sri Lanka, held as part of Sinhala and Tamil New Year celebrations. The blast killed 15 people and wounded 90 others. Among the dead were Sri Lanka's national athletics coach Lakshman de Alwis, politician Jeyaraj Fernandopulle, former Olympic runner K.A. Karunaratne, and army officer Lt Colonel Udayadeera.

The Sri Lankan government attributed the attack to the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE, commonly known as the Tamil Tigers), citing that minister Fernandopulle had been a vocal critic of the group.

Following the bombing, Scene of Crime Officers (SOCO) attached to the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) worked to identify the bomber. Investigators determined that the bomber was a Tamil man who had been carrying an identity card bearing a Muslim name. Further investigation uncovered that he had also held a second identity card under a Tamil name, which he had used to open a bank account to fund his expenses related to the attack.

This discovery of the second identity allowed the CID to trace individuals connected to the bomber, including a handler. The handler reportedly escaped to areas under LTTE control before being apprehended. Separately, a female Tamil individual was arrested for questioning in connection with the case. According to reporting on the investigation, she died by suicide while in custody, having swallowed a cyanide capsule that had been concealed inside her vagina.