An astrologer who made several predictions on Facebook, that the Sri Lankan president would die, has been arrested.
Vijitha Rohana Wijemuni, a former navy sailor who was convicted of attempting to assassinate India’s then-Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi in 1987, is said to be a prime suspect after his prediction came into fruition regarding the death of the President.
Wijemuni has been arrested on the charges of making false predictions and comments that could mislead the public, with a court in the capital, Colombo, releasing him on bail.
Astrologer Wijemuni, was said to have posted several videos on Facebook predicting President Maithripala Sirisena would die of illness or accident before January 27.
His predictions caught the attention of top government officials, as well as Media Ministry Secretary, Nimal Bopage, who asked police in December to investigate.
Mr Bopage sent a letter to the police chief regarding a suspected possible coup and urged that assassination attempts were behind Wijemuni’s sustained campaign on the internet during the last few months.
Despite being the only suspect, the government do not believe him to have acted alone.
Prosecutors said de Silva wrote a series of blogs over the past six months that foretold Sirisena’s death last Thursday, January 26, but the day passed off peacefully for the president.
Wijemuni was sentenced to two and a half years in prison for attacking Mr Gandhi with his rifle as the Indian leader inspected a naval guard of honour in Colombo.
After being released from jail, Wijemuni turned to politics and stood for parliamentary elections in 2000, before becoming an astrologer.
Astrology is commonly used in Sri Lanka to identify auspicious times for occasions such as marriage, building houses and signing important documents.
Sri Lankan politicians place great faith in astrology; many have their own seers whose predictions are sometimes treated with more deference than the advice of senior aides.
