Security forces have captured two of the Tamil Tigers' most wanted fighters along with six of their accomplices, defence sources said yesterday.
Police said the arrests at the weekend of the two rebel leaders, in the Greater Colombo area and in the North Central Province, represented a major breakthrough for the country's security forces.
Police and army intelligence have launched a full-scale hunt for a haul of powerful explosives in Colombo and the north-central town of Anuradhapura following the arrests.
Investigators said the two hard-core rebels, Illanko and Selvarajah, had been identified as leaders of the elite Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam suicide squad.
Illanko had planned to lead a team of Black Tiger guerillas to destroy one of Sri Lanka's holiest Buddhist shrines, in the sacred city of Anuradhapura.
Three others, suspected to be members of a 10-man suicide squad, were arrested along with him while travelling in a lorry towards their designated target.
Police said the four suspects arrested in the Greater Colombo area of suburban Dehiwela had confessed to having stashed a large consignment of arms and explosives in rebel safe houses in the metropolis.
