Colombo, Feb. 28 -- Days after being released from jail, Bodu Bala Sena (BBS) General Secretary Galagoda Aththe Gnanasara set the stage for another controversy when he said that he informed Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith about the Easter Sunday attacks well in advance but it fell on deaf ears.

Delivering remarks to the media, Gnanasara said that the government intelligence services and officials concerned had prior knowledge of the attack.

"We approached the Cardinal even before the attack and had lengthy discussions with him, warning him of the possible threat. However, he disregarded our warnings," he alleged.

"As the General Secretary of the BBS, we had the authority to inform the relevant personnel about the attack, but we did not have t...