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New Tamil Tiger head is arrested | |
(about 3 hours later) | |
The Tamil Tiger rebels' new leader, Selvarasa Pathmanathan, has been arrested, officials say. | |
Sri Lanka's defence secretary told the BBC that Mr Pathmanathan, better known as KP, was arrested on Wednesday. | Sri Lanka's defence secretary told the BBC that Mr Pathmanathan, better known as KP, was arrested on Wednesday. |
The exact circumstances surrounding his arrest in a south-east Asian country are unclear. | |
The rebels have confirmed the arrest. Mr Pathmanathan became the leader of the remnants of the Tigers after their defeat in May by Sri Lankan forces. | The rebels have confirmed the arrest. Mr Pathmanathan became the leader of the remnants of the Tigers after their defeat in May by Sri Lankan forces. |
Non-violent methods | |
"He is in Sri Lanka now and is being questioned by investigators at the moment," Sri Lankan military spokesperson Brig Udaya Nanayakkara told the BBC. | |
The war in Sri Lanka ended earlier this year | |
Earlier reports from Sri Lankan military officials suggested the arrest took place in Thailand, but Bangkok later denied them. | Earlier reports from Sri Lankan military officials suggested the arrest took place in Thailand, but Bangkok later denied them. |
A pro-rebel website said Mr Pathmanathan was abducted from the Malaysian capital, Kuala Lumpur, and blamed Sri Lankan and Malaysian intelligence for his disappearance. | |
He was wanted on two Interpol warrants. | He was wanted on two Interpol warrants. |
Earlier, Sri Lanka's Defence Secretary, Gotabhaya Rajapaksa, confirmed to the BBC that the new Tamil Tiger leader had been arrested, but did not elaborate on the circumstances. | |
Mr Pathmanathan was widely believed to be running the rebels' arms and smuggling networks for years. | Mr Pathmanathan was widely believed to be running the rebels' arms and smuggling networks for years. |
He took over the leadership of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) after Velupillai Prabhakaran and other top commanders were killed during the military offensive in north-eastern Sri Lanka in May. | |
As the new rebel leader, Mr Pathmanathan said the LTTE had decided to silence their guns and would try non-violent methods to achieve their goal of a separate state for the Tamil minority. | As the new rebel leader, Mr Pathmanathan said the LTTE had decided to silence their guns and would try non-violent methods to achieve their goal of a separate state for the Tamil minority. |
Analysts say his arrest has created a vacuum among the moderate elements within the LTTE supporters living overseas and is a significant blow for the organisation. | |
Mr Pathmanathan is also wanted in India in connection with the assassination of former Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi by a suspected Tamil female suicide bomber in 1991. | |