In further events, a minor explosion of a motorbike was recorded in
Savoy Cinema, Colombo during raids conducted by police officers on 24 April 2019.
[22] On 25 April 2019, another minor controlled explosion of a motorbike was reported at a bus stand in
Moratuwaduring police raids.
[23] On 26 April 2019, three explosions and a shootout occurred during a raid in
Sainthamaruthu. Three suicide bombers blew themselves up, killing nine of their family members, including six children, while three terrorists were shot dead during the gun battle. A civilian was also killed and two others injured during the shooting. A curfew was later imposed in the area indefinitely.
[24][25]
On 23 April 2019,
Amaq News Agency, a propaganda outlet for the
Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), stated that ″the perpetrators of the attack targeting the citizens of coalition countries and Christians in Sri Lanka were Islamic State fighters″.
[7] Sri Lanka was not part of the
anti-ISIL coalition, and the overwhelming majority of those killed were Sri Lankan citizens.
[33] ISIL leader
Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi appeared in a video vowing revenge for those killed or captured in the bombings; and praised them for their actions.
[34]
Background[edit]
During the 2010s, a low but persisting number of attacks and threats were made against Christian congregations and individuals, as well as other religious minorities.
[41][42] Anglican
Bishop of Colombo Dhiloraj Canagasabey called for constitutional rights on religion to be protected.
[43] In 2018, the National Christian Evangelical Alliance of Sri Lanka (NCEASL) reported a large increase in the number of attacks against Christians in the country that year. This coincided with a Supreme Court ruling against a Catholic organisation in August, which deemed that
proselytism was not protected by the constitution (though individual
freedom of religion remained protected).
[44][45]
Easter Sunday is one of Christianity's holiest days and church attendance in Sri Lanka is very high on this day.
[46] This was the first time since 2009, the end of the
Sri Lankan Civil War, that the country had experienced a major terrorist attack.
[47]
Islamic radicalisation[edit]
The Sri Lankan government was aware of some foreigners arriving in Sri Lanka to spread what justice minister
Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe called
Islamic extremism. In November 2016 he told parliament that 32 Sri Lankan Muslims from “well-educated and elite” families joined the
Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant.
[48] On 25 April 2019, Prime Minister
Ranil Wickremesinghe revealed that the government had known of the Sri Lankan nationals who had joined Islamic State and returned to the country — but they couldn’t be arrested, because joining a foreign terrorist organisation is not against the law.
[49][50][51]
Prior to the attacks[edit]
Vice president of the
Muslim Council of Sri Lanka Hilmy Ahamed had said about three years ago he warned military intelligence officials about the
National Thowheeth Jama'ath, saying “targeting the non-Muslim community is something they encourage -- they say you have to kill them in the name of religion”.
[52]
The information on potential terrorist attacks were received by Sri Lankan authorities as early as 4 April on the night before and as close as two hours before the first attack, warning on threats to churches, from Indian Intelligence Agencies based on interrogation of a suspected ISIL recruit.
[53][54]
The New York Times and
AFP reported on a police chief warning security officials in an advisory ten days before the attacks of a threat to prominent churches from a
radical Islamist group,
National Thowheeth Jama'ath.
[55] No information in this regard had been passed to the senior politicians of the country;
[56][57] Minister
Harin Fernando then tweeted images of an internal memo and report by the police intelligence of a terror attack planned by the founder of National Thowheeth Jama’ath, Mohammed Zahran.
[12][58]
Attacks[edit]
Christians were attending Easter Sunday services when the bombings took place, targeting churches and hotels around Sri Lanka. The sequence and coordination of the bombings were planned to cause maximum destruction, targeting Christians during
worship services across the island nation, and targeting guests at the height of breakfast in luxurious beachfront hotels in the capital. All six of the first set of blasts targeting the churches and hotels were carried out by suicide bombers.
[56]
On the other side of the island in Batticaloa, a bomb blast 15 minutes later killed 28 people at the Protestant evangelical
Zion Church.
[61]
Sri Lankan media reported at least 40 people killed in Colombo, between St. Anthony's and the hotels.
[62][63]
Churches[edit]
The
Zion Church in
Batticaloa, a Protestant congregation, was also bombed.
[55] Local news reported at least 27 killed in Batticaloa,
[62][63] with 9 of these reported by a police official to be tourists.
[18] A hospital official in the region said that more than 300 people had been admitted following the explosion.
[20] The BBC reported that the suicide bomber had attempted to enter the church under the guise of filming it, but was denied access because of the ongoing service. Instead, he detonated his bomb in the churchyard, killing many children from the attached Sunday school who were taking a break.
[67]
The Shangri-La bombers struck at 08:57 hours (
UTC+05:30) during breakfast in the Table One Restaurant on the hotel's third floor, which was reportedly full of foreign tourists who made up the bulk of the hotel's clientele.
[63]
The suicide bomber who struck at the Taprobane restaurant in the Cinnamon Grand hotel had checked into the hotel with a false name the night before, claiming to be on a business trip. The bomber entered the queue of the packed restaurant's breakfast buffet the next morning and detonated explosives strapped to his back as he was about to be served. One of the hotel's managers who was welcoming guests was among those killed instantly.
[69]
The Kingsbury hotel management resumed their operations on 24 April 2019; the other two luxury hotels, the Cinnamon Grand and Shangri-La, are closed temporarily until further notice.
[d]
Residence[edit]
A further bombing occurred later in the day when police executed a
breach and clear at a suspect's house in the suburbs of Colombo; in
Dematagoda killing three police officers and four others at the premises including the suicide bomber.
[76][77] The suicide bomber, whose three children were killed in the blast, was the wife of Ilham Ibrahim, the Shangri-La suicide bomber, and the sister-in-law of Inshaf Ahmed Ibrahim, the Cinnamon Grand suicide bomber.
[78]
Aftermath[edit]
The government closed facilities for security; the
Defence Ministry issued a
police curfew starting at 18:00 local time on the day of the attacks, and imposed a temporary social media ban,
[79] whilst the Minister of Education,
Akila Viraj Kariyawasam, had all schools closed for the following two days.
[80] The
Colombo Stock Exchange announced that its operations will be temporarily suspended following the terror attacks, not opening as planned on 22 April 2019.
[81][82]
On 22 April, the
Special Task Force (STF), the elite counter-terrorism unit of the
Sri Lanka Police, located a van belonging to the attackers near
St. Anthony's Shrine, the site of one of the prior day's blasts. Upon inspection, the vehicle was found to have been rigged with 3 bombs. After the STF's bomb defusing unit evacuated the surrounding area, the bombs exploded simultaneously during an unsuccessful defusing attempt.
[85] The same day, police reportedly found 87 items of bomb paraphernalia at the Bastian Mawatha Private Bus Station in Pettah.
[86]
On 25 April, the
Criminal Investigation Department (CID) released names and photos of six suspects wanted in connection over the Easter Sunday bombings, seeking public assistance.
[87] On 28 April, police confirmed two of the suspects, Mohomed Iwuhaim Saadiq Abdul Haq and Mohomed Iwuhaim Shahid Abdul Haq were arrested in
Nawalapitiyaand would be handed over to the CID.
[88]
Victims[edit]
The bombings killed 253 people and injured at least 500.
[2] Initially, 359 fatalities were reported; the Ministry of Health later reduced the number by 106 after cross-referencing DNA samples to body parts. The majority of the dead are Sri Lankans, with at least 46 foreigners among those killed.
[89]
Subsequent events[edit]
On 26 April, the
Sri Lanka Army and the STF carried out a search operation in
Sainthamaruthu where
three explosions and a shootout occurred when they attempted to raid a suspected hideout following a tip-off. Three suicide bombers blew themselves up killing nine of their family members, including six children, while three other terrorists were shot dead by the soldiers. One civilian was caught in the crossfire and died, according to police, while a wounded woman and child were taken to hospital.
[g]
Another search operation in
Sammanthurai based on information received by the
State Intelligence Service led to a house where a stock of more than 150
gelignite sticks, IS uniforms and flags, 100,000 metal balls, a drone, a van and a laptop were discovered.
[117][118][119] An indefinite curfew had been imposed in the police areas of Kalmunai, Chawalakade and Sammanthurai.
[120]
On the same day, a suspect was arrested and more than 40 swords, kris knives and several uniforms similar to those worn by the army were recovered from a mosque at Palliyaweediya in
Slave Island.
[121]
On 27 April, while conducting house to house raids in the
Kalmunai area, evidence recovered linked three suspects to the murders of two police officers Dinesh Alagaratnam and Niroshan Indika on 29 November 2018 in
Vavunathivu. All three suspects have been arrested and
Daily Mirror reported that sources confirmed they were part of a "radical Islamist" group.
[122]
On the same day, the driver of the main suspect involved in the attacks, Mohamed Sahran was arrested in
Kattankudy.
[123] The Negombo Deputy Mayor, Mohomad Anzar was taken into custody with a sword, a knife and 38 mobile phone batteries.
[124]
Government response[edit]
Proclamation of emergency laws
State of emergency[edit]
Following President Sirisena's return to the island from Singapore on 22 April 2019, where he was on a personal visit, the Sri Lankan government declared a
state of emergency from midnight of 22 April by a extraordinary gazette notification has been issued by President under the Public Security Ordinance. This would give the government, police and the armed forces sweeping powers to under take counter terrorism activities. The government also further announced that it would hold the
national day of mourning, the following day.
Curfews[edit]
Since 21 April evening, the government has imposed nightly
police curfews effective island wide, with the hours reduced to 2200 to 0400 hours until 27 April. Indefinite curfews were imposed in several police divisions where incidents such as the
Kalmunai shootout took place.
[125]
Ban on social media[edit]
Some commentators condoned the move and viewed it as evidence that social media sites had failed to stop misinformation.
[127] Others criticised the block for cutting off Sri Lankans from means of communicating with relatives during a disaster
[128] and saw it as counterproductive in reducing fake news.
[129][130]
On 30 April, President Sirisena ordered the Telecommunications Regulatory Commission (TRC) to lift the social media ban.
[131]
Ban on burqa[edit]
On 24 April 2019, Sri Lankan MP called for both
burqa and
niqab to be banned from the country and proposed for a bill to be passed in the Parliament during a local parliamentary session in wake of the attacks.
[132][133][134]
On 28 April 2019, President Sirisena banned any type of face covering that prevents or hinders facial identification, including the
burqa or
niqāb under an emergency law which will go into force on 29 April 2019. Breaching any emergency law is punishable by a maximum penalty of death.
[135] In a press release, the President stated the decision was taken to "further support the ongoing security and help the armed forces to easily identify the identity of any wanted perpetrators".
[136]
Investigations[edit]
Security lapse Inquiry[edit]
Sri Lanka's Minister of Telecommunication
Harin Fernando had tweeted that Police Chief
Pujith Jayasundara sent an alert by his Deputy Inspector General Priyalal Dissanayake dated 11 April 2019 relaying an Indian intelligence report
[137][138][139][140] from 4 April that suicide bombers affiliated with NTJ planned to attack prominent churches and the
Indian embassy in Colombo.
[141][142][143] Indian intelligence service reissued the warnings two days and two hours before the attacks. Following the attacks, it disclosed that some of the information about the attacks was gleaned from an ISIL suspect arrested in
Delhi, who revealed the name of a man, Zahran Hashim, the founder of the NTJ.
[144][58]
After initial government denials of the alert's authenticity, Prime Minister
Ranil Wickremesinghe stated that "information was there," about the attacks, and that his government must "look into why adequate precautions were not taken."
[56] The State Defence Minister had earlier requested that the media not publish the names of the attackers, and said the government believes the attacks were carried out by a single group of religious extremists.
[55][145]
Bombing investigation[edit]
The bomber at the Cinnamon Grand Hotel was a guest who registered under the name of "Mohamed Azzam Mohamed" and gave a false address.
[148] The Shangri-La Hotel bomber was identified by police as Insan Seelavan, a factory owner, nine of whose employees have been arrested.
[149]
On 23 April 2019, three Sri Lankan government and military sources told Reuters that a Syrian national had been held in custody for questioning over the attacks.
[150]
Later on 23 April, the Sri Lankan State Defence Minister,
Ruwan Wijewardene, said that initial investigations have revealed that Islamic extremists "carried out the attacks in retaliation for
a March attack on two mosques in New Zealand".
[26][27][28][29] This has been questioned by New Zealand's Prime Minister
Jacinda Ardern and by analysts as the attacks were likely planned before the Christchurch attacks.
[31][32][30] New Zealand security expert Paul Buchanan said that "Christchurch seems to be a convenient justification for something that was being planned before March 15".
[31]Shortly afterward,
Amaq News Agency claimed
Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) inspired the attacks.
[7] It released a photo and a video showing eight suicide bombers pledging allegiance to ISIL leader
Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. Zahran Hashim of the NTJ was identified as their leader.
[144] Amaq's statements emphasised the attacks were against Christians who are war with the organisation. None of them referenced Christchurch.
[151]
Investigators also believe the bombs were made of
acetone peroxide, and are looking into to training camps that had been hidden on a remote compound near
Wanathavilluwa, on the west coast of the country, and possible links to overseas jihadist networks.
[152][153]
According to the investigators, the perpetrators were offered military training by a person named Army Mohideen while weapons training was provided overseas as well as in Nuwara Eliya and Wanathawilluwa in the Eastern Province. The vehicles used in the attack are believed to have been procured from a car sales centre in Kadawata.
[154]
Perpetrators[edit]
Arrests[edit]
Police arrested eight people residing in the Colombo suburb of
Dematagoda on the day of the attacks.
[h] Five more suspected attackers and accomplices were arrested at a house during the night.
[12] Police confirmed on the day after the bombings that 24 people were arrested.
[160] By 23 April, the number of people arrested was 40.
[161] Three police officers and two civilians were killed by bombs that exploded during the captures.
[162] By 24 April, 60 people had been arrested with possible links to the attacks with 32 in custody. On 26 April the Sri Lankan Police had more than 70 suspects held on charges of suspicion of terrorism, aiding and abetting terrorism and conspiracy to commit terrorism. Four high-level suspects are being held by the Terrorism Investigation Department, and 33 are being held by the
Criminal Investigation Department. Most of them are friends and family of the suspected suicide bombers.
[147][153] Nine suicide bombers, were involved in the attacks and police have so far identified 8.
[4]
National Thowheeth Jama'ath[edit]
Health Minister
Rajitha Senaratne confirmed that all of the bombers were Sri Lankan citizens associated with
National Thowheeth Jama'ath (NTJ), a local militant radical Islamist group, but foreign links are suspected.
[163] There had been no claim of responsibility before 23 April. NTJ's leadership had been condemned by several Sri Lankan Muslim organisations in 2016 for advocating extreme fundamentalist indoctrination of children and for clashes with Buddhist monks,
[164] and was linked in 2018 to vandalism of Buddhist statues following
anti-Muslim riots in Sri Lanka.
[165][166] NTJ's member and "bombing mastermind" Moulavi Zahran Hashim, a radical Islamist
imam from Sri Lanka, preached on a pro-ISIL Sri Lankan
Facebook account, known as "Al-Ghuraba" media, and on
YouTube. He had praised the Islamic preacher
Zakir Naik for inciting Muslims without being banned.
[167][168][169]
Jammiyathul Millathu Ibrahim[edit]
Identities of the bombers[edit]
Wijewardene announced that most of the suicide bombers were “well-educated and come from middle or upper-middle class”, and that they were “financially quite independent.” He stated one of the bombers studied in the United Kingdom before going to Australia to complete a postgraduate degree.
[172]
Sri Lankan police have identified eight of the nine suicide bombers.
- Zahran Hashim, the founder of NTJ and the suspected ringleader of the attacks, is believed to have been one of the suicide bombers who struck the Shangri-La hotel in Colombo.[58]
- Inshaf Ahmed Ibrahim, aged 33, was the owner of Colossus Copper, a manufacturing facility in Wellampitiya. He also detonated his bomb in the breakfast buffet of the Shangri-La hotel. Investigators believe Inshaf used his factory to fabricate the suicide vests used in the attack, supplying bolts and screws that filled the devices.[173][172][174][153]
- Fatima Ibrahim, wife of Inshaf detonated her bomb killing herself and her three sons, and three police officers, in the police raid of her home in Dematagoda.[173][172][174]
- Ilham Ahmed Ibrahim, aged 31, younger brother of Inshaf. He detonated a bomb in the Cinnamon Grand hotel.[172][147]
- Imsath Ibrahim, brother of Inshaf and Ilham.[147]
- Abdul Lathief Jameel Mohamed, aged 36, detonated his bomb at the Tropical Inn. Mohamed had previously studied in the United Kingdom and Australia and may have been radicalized while in Australia. He had originally attempted to bomb the Taj Samudra in Colombo, but his device failed to detonate.[175]
Ties to Islamic State[edit]
Hashim was featured in a video released by Amaq purporting to show eight of the suicide bombers.
[144] One of the bombers, Abdul Latheef, had tried to travel to Syria to join the Islamic State.
[176] It was reported that he was one of the subjects of a terrorism investigation by the Australian Joint Counter Terrorism Team in 2014 after intelligence emerged linking him to an IS operative
Neil Prakash.
[177] British newspaper
The Times have reported that security agencies believe he might have reached Syria where he was trained and had links with British ISIL members like
Jihadi John and
Junaid Hussain.
[178]
After the
2019 Kalmunai shootout, Amaq claimed those killed in the raid were men of ISIL and published a photo which showed Rilwan who had blown himself up.
[179] The other man in the image has been identified to be Zahran.
[180] Islamic State also released a video purportedly showing their leader
Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi praising the attackers and claiming the attacks were revenge for the loss of Baghouz in Syria.
[181]
Political[edit]
The
Inspector General of Police,
Pujith Jayasundara, came under heavy criticism following the bombings with the
United People's Freedom Alliance urging that he resign for this total failure to prevent the bombings.
[182] Later, former Presidential candidate Field Marshal
Sarath Fonseka claimed it was unfair to blame the IGP and claimed it was a conflict between the functioning of military intelligence and criminal investigators, and called for better intelligence mechanisms and security clearances to be streamlined.
[183]
In a speech delivered in parliament, former president and current opposition leader
Mahinda Rajapaksa slammed the government for weakening the intelligence services over the years. He stated that in January 2015, he handed over a secure and peaceful country with a strong national security apparatus. He claimed the present government is squarely responsible for the 2019 Easter bombings, stating that on an important occasion such as Easter, representatives of the government usually attend Mass; on this occasion, no representatives were present in or near churches. He blamed the government for diluting the powers of the national security apparatus and claimed this terrorist attack would never have occurred under his administration. Additionally, the government was preparing to repeal the
Prevention of Terrorism Act; he questioned what kind of position the government would have been in to respond to the incident had they been successful in having the Act repealed.
[184]
On 24 April 2019, President
Sirisena promised major changes to the leadership of the security forces within the next 24 hours and pledged a "complete restructure" of the police and national security forces in the coming weeks. These changes come amidst allegations that a rift between the President and Prime Minister contributed to the failure to effectively respond to threats that undermine national security. The incident also caused a major setback for the government and for other political parties just before
2019 Sri Lankan presidential election [185]
Resignations and dismissals[edit]
On 23 April, President Sirisena had announced plans to change the heads of the
defence forces.
[54]
On 25 April,
Hemasiri Fernando, Secretary to the Ministry of Defence tendered his resignation to the President, after it was announced that President Sirisena has requested the Defence Secretary and the Inspector General of Police resign.
[186] On 29 April, the IGP was sent on compulsory leave and Senior Deputy Inspector General of Police C.D. Wickramaratne was appointed as the Acting Inspector General of Police.
[187]. The same day
General Shantha Kottegodawas appointed Defence Secretary.
[188]
Economic[edit]
Tourism in Sri Lanka is the country's third largest foreign exchange earner and employs around 135,000 to 150,000 in the hotel industry. The industry had expected 3 million tourist arrivals and revenue of $5 billion in 2019. Due to the attack on tourists, The Hotels Association of Sri Lanka estimated a loss of $1.5 billion in tourism earnings for the year.
[189]
The governments plan to grant visa-on-arrival to visitors from 39 countries has been suspended due to the current security situation.
[190] Canadian Prime Minister,
Justin Trudeau has asked the Parliament to consider and approve a visa-free entry and grant work permits to those travelling under a new Employment and Migration Programme designed for immigrants for Sri Lankans traveling to Canada.
[191]
Reactions[edit]
Domestic responses[edit]
Leaders of the country condemned the attacks: President
Maithripala Sirisena said "I have given instructions to take very stern action against the persons who are responsible for this conspiracy",
[194] the Prime Minister
Ranil Wickremesinghesaid "I strongly condemn the cowardly attacks on our people today,
[195] Opposition Leader and former President
Mahinda Rajapaksa called the attacks "absolutely barbaric" and said that the nation will stand united as one against "acts of terrorism",
[196] and Finance Minister
Mangala Samaraweera described the attacks as a "well co-ordinated attempt to create murder, mayhem and anarchy".
[18]
The Roman Catholic Archbishop of Colombo,
Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith, said "It’s a very very sad day for all of us. I wish therefore to express my deepest sorrow and sympathy [...] I condemn to the utmost of my capacity this act that has caused so much death and suffering to the people."
[197] Following the attack, the Archbishop's House in Colombo cancelled all Catholic
Easter services planned for the evening of Easter Sunday.
[198]
International responses[edit]
Buildings around the world were dimmed or lit in Sri Lanka's colours in solidarity.
[246] The
Eiffel Tower in
Paris dimmed its lights on the night of the attacks in honour of the victims of the Sri Lanka bombings.
[247] The
Toronto signwas dimmed in honour of the victims of the attack.
[248] Many buildings and bridges were lit up in the colours of Sri Lanka's flag.
[249][250][251][252][253]
The
New York Stock Exchange paused for a moment of silence before the opening bell on the day after the attacks.
[254] Real Madrid C.F. also paused for a moment of silence before the commencement of the
La Liga match on the night of the attacks.
[254] Candlelight vigils were held and flags were also flown at half-mast around the world including in Canada, Indonesia, New Zealand, Australia and the United Kingdom.
[254]
Religious leaders[edit]
Representatives and leaders of the main world religions responded with prayers and support for the victims.
[255]
Pope Francis pledged his closeness and solidarity after the attacks. During his
Urbi et Orbi address in
St. Peter's Square, he said, "I wish to express my heartfelt closeness to the Christian community of
Sri Lanka, wounded as it was gathered in prayer, and to all the victims of such cruel violence." He also urged the international community to offer the needed help to Sri Lanka, and called on them not to hesitate in condemning those terrorist and inhuman acts that are never justifiable.
All Ceylon Jamiyyathul Ulama, a council of Muslim theologians, stated that "On behalf of the Sri Lankan Muslim community, we offer our condolences to the people of Christian faith and extend our hands of friendship in solidarity."
[265]They also called for security at all religious sites and "maximum punishment to everyone involved in these dastardly acts."
[265] Several of the theologians met with
Malcolm Ranjith, the
Archbishop of Colombo, following the attacks. The National Shoora Council, composed of eighteen Muslim organisations, also expressed its condolences and requested that the Sri Lankan government not "leave any stone unturned in its efforts to apprehend the culprits whoever they may be and to whatever part of the populace they may belong to."
[265]
See also[edit]
^ See
[13][14][15][16][17]^ See
[18][19][20][21]^ See
[26][27][28][29]^ See
[72][73][74][75]^ One of whom a dual Swiss-Dutch citizen and another a dual Dutch-Sri Lankan citizen
^ Multiple citizenships above only counted once
^ See
[112][113][114][115][116]^ See
[19][55][156][157][158][159]^ World leaders giving condolences included those of Afghanistan,
[199] Australia,
[200] Bangladesh,
[201] Brazil,
[202] Brunei,
[203]Bulgaria,
[204] Cambodia,
[205] Canada,
[206] China,
[207] Denmark,
[208] Finland,
[209] the Holy See,
[210] Hungary,
[211] India,
[212]Indonesia,
[213] Iran,
[214] Israel,
[215] Italy,
[216] Japan,
[217] Laos,
[218] Lebanon,
[219][220] Malaysia,
[221] Morocco,
[222] New Zealand,
[223] Pakistan,
[224] Palestine,
[225][226] the Philippines,
[227] Poland,
[228] Portugal,
[229] Romania,
[230] Russia,
[231] Saudi Arabia,
[232] Serbia,
[233] Singapore,
[234] Slovakia,
[235] South Korea,
[236] Thailand,
[237] the United Arab Emirates,
[238] the United Kingdom,
[239] the United States,
[240] Venezuela
[241][242] and Vietnam.
[243]
"Hispanic" defendant can NOT SPEAK ENGLISH - requires an INTERPRETER in court
