COLOMBO, Sri Lanka – A Sri Lankan court has barred the once-powerful former defense secretary from leaving the country as police investigate a large weapons cache aboard a ship that operated under his purview.
Police said a court in the southern town of Galle imposed the travel ban Monday on Gotabhaya Rajapaksa, a brother of former President Mahinda Rajapaksa.
Police raided the ship in Galle harbor soon after Mahinda Rajapaksa lost a presidential election in January, and said they found more than 3,000 automatic and semi-automatic weapons on board. They said the weapons were for a private security firm guarding the seas against pirates.
Opposition parties have questioned the legality of the weapons cache.
Gotabhaya played a key role in defeating ethnic Tamil rebels in a civil war during his brother's presidency.
Fox News' "Antisemitism Exposed" newsletter brings you stories on the rising anti-Jewish prejudice across the U.S. and the world.