Sri Lanka, Oct. 22 -- Public Security and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ananda Wijepala stated in Parliament that a 21-year-old youth residing in Kiribamuna, Ibbagamuwa, was arrested on September 30 in connection to the creation of a WhatsApp group containing content disrespectful to the Buddha.

In the Whatsapp messages, the suspect had said that the sole objective of the group was to launch attacks on November 19, 2026, against several locations, including the Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic, Thuparamaya, the Sri Maha Bodhi, and the Dambulla Temple.

The Minister further noted that five complaints had been received regarding this matter, and that the suspect was produced before the Colombo Chief Magistrate's Court on October 1. Additi...