Same storyLater: Sri Lanka's High Court convicted 15 men on September 22-23, 2026, over their roles…Each entry records what was published on its own date and is not edited afterwards.
What this entry found
- OUTLETS DISAGREE
Total number of foreigners killed
- aljazeera.com: 45 foreigners
- bbc.co.uk: 45 foreigners
- bbc.com: 45 foreigners
- fides.org: 45 foreigners
- OUTLETS DISAGREE
How many defendants were convicted on all charges versus some charges
- aljazeera.com: 14 guilty on all charges, 1 guilty of only some charges (totaling 15)
- iol.co.za: 14 guilty on all charges, 1 guilty of only some charges (totaling 15)
- rte.ie: does not specify breakdown between all charges vs. some charges
- ONLY ONE OUTLET HAD THIS
npr.org carried 3 details no other outlet reported.
- According to npr.org, the bombings killed 'more than 260 people' and were 'Islamic State group-inspired.'
- According to npr.org, two Sri Lanka-based Islamic militant groups were accused of carrying out the bombings, and Sri Lanka's Catholic Church has claimed without providing evidence that those identified are not the masterminds and that there was a bigger conspiracy.
- According to npr.org, in July 2026, a former police chief and a former senior defense ministry official were sentenced to death for failing to act promptly on foreign intelligence warnings.
Day name corrected
The summary below named a weekday that does not match its own date. The date is as written; only the day name was recomputed from it.
Sunday bombings trial on September 22, 2026→ Tuesday bombings trial on September 22, 2026
9independent outlets
What happened, for context
Sri Lanka's High Court convicted defendants in the 2019 Easter Tuesday bombings trial on September 22, 2026, after a five-year trial. The court found 15 of 24 accused men guilty on various charges including murder and terrorism offences, while 9 were acquitted and 1 was convicted of only some charges. The attacks, which occurred on April 21, 2019, killed approximately 270–279 people including 45 foreigners.
Who reported it
- aljazeera.comINDEP
- scmp.comINDEP
- bbc.co.ukPUBLIC
- bbc.comPUBLIC
- fides.orgUNCLASSIFIED
- iol.co.zaUNCLASSIFIED
- npr.orgPUBLIC
- rte.iePUBLIC
- timesofindia.indiatimes.comUNCLASSIFIED
References
- aljazeera.comSri Lanka court convicts 15 over deadly Easter Sunday bombingsScreenshot as publishedOriginalcaptured 2026-09-22T16:51:52
- bbc.co.ukSri Lanka court convicts 15 men over deadly Easter Sunday bombingsScreenshot as publishedOriginalcaptured 2026-09-22T16:51:52
- bbc.comSri Lanka Easter attacks: Court finds 15 guilty over deadly bombingsScreenshot as publishedOriginalcaptured 2026-09-22T16:51:52
- fides.orgASIA/SRI LANKA - Easter attacks verdict: 15 of 24 defendants convictedScreenshot as publishedOriginalcaptured 2026-09-22T16:51:52
- iol.co.zaSri Lanka: 14 convicted over Easter Sunday bombings that killed 279Screenshot as publishedOriginalcaptured 2026-09-22T16:51:52
- npr.orgSri Lanka court convicts 15 over deadly 2019 Easter bombingsScreenshot as publishedOriginalcaptured 2026-09-22T16:51:52
- rte.ieSri Lanka court convicts 14 men over 2019 Easter bombingsScreenshot as publishedOriginalcaptured 2026-09-22T16:51:52
- scmp.comSri Lanka court convicts 15 over 2019 Easter bombings, 9 acquittedScreenshot as publishedOriginalcaptured 2026-09-22T16:51:52
- timesofindia.indiatimes.comSri Lanka court convicts 15 men over 2019 Easter Sunday bombingsScreenshot as publishedOriginalcaptured 2026-09-22T16:51:52
Carried by multiple outlets
- Sri Lanka's High Court delivered verdicts on September 22, 2026 in the trial of men accused of involvement in the 2019 Easter Sunday bombings.aljazeera.com, bbc.co.uk, bbc.com, fides.org, iol.co.za, npr.org, rte.ie, scmp.com, timesofindia.indiatimes.com
- The court convicted 15 of the 24 accused men.aljazeera.com, bbc.co.uk, bbc.com, fides.org, npr.org, scmp.com, timesofindia.indiatimes.com
- Nine of the accused were acquitted.aljazeera.com, bbc.co.uk, bbc.com, fides.org, iol.co.za, npr.org, rte.ie, scmp.com, timesofindia.indiatimes.com
- One additional defendant was found guilty of only some of the charges.aljazeera.com, iol.co.za, rte.ie
- The trial lasted approximately five years.aljazeera.com, bbc.co.uk, bbc.com, fides.org, iol.co.za, rte.ie, scmp.com
- The attacks occurred on April 21, 2019, and targeted three churches and three hotels.aljazeera.com, bbc.co.uk, bbc.com, fides.org, iol.co.za, npr.org, rte.ie, timesofindia.indiatimes.com
- and 11 more, not shown
Reported by one outlet only
- According to aljazeera.com, 14 of the 15 convicted defendants were guilty on all charges; a 15th defendant was found guilty of only some charges.only aljazeera.com
- According to iol.co.za, 14 of the 24 men were convicted on all charges, with a 15th convicted of only some charges.only iol.co.za
- According to npr.org, the bombings killed 'more than 260 people' and were 'Islamic State group-inspired.'only npr.org
- According to npr.org, two Sri Lanka-based Islamic militant groups were accused of carrying out the bombings, and Sri Lanka's Catholic Church has claimed without providing evidence that those identified are not the masterminds and that there was a bigger conspiracy.only npr.org
- According to npr.org, in July 2026, a former police chief and a former senior defense ministry official were sentenced to death for failing to act promptly on foreign intelligence warnings.only npr.org
- According to rte.ie, three of the defendants currently in Sri Lankan custody were also charged by US authorities with terrorism-related offences linked to the bombings in December 2020.only rte.ie
Reported unevenly
- Total death toll from the 2019 Easter Sunday bombingsstated by aljazeera.com: 279 people, bbc.co.uk: 270 people, bbc.com: 270 people, fides.org: 279 people, iol.co.za: 279 people, npr.org: more than 260 people, rte.ie: 279 people, timesofindia.indiatimes.com: more than 260 people
- Total number of foreigners killedstated by aljazeera.com: 45 foreigners, bbc.co.uk: 45 foreigners, bbc.com: 45 foreigners, fides.org: 45 foreigners, iol.co.za: 45 foreigners, npr.org: 42 foreigners, rte.ie: not explicitly stated, timesofindia.indiatimes.com: 42 foreigners
- How many defendants were convicted on all charges versus some chargesstated by aljazeera.com: 14 guilty on all charges, 1 guilty of only some charges (totaling 15), iol.co.za: 14 guilty on all charges, 1 guilty of only some charges (totaling 15), rte.ie: does not specify breakdown between all charges vs. some charges · absent from bbc.co.uk, bbc.com, fides.org, npr.org, scmp.com, timesofindia.indiatimes.com
Not yet confirmed against a primary source
- Confirm whether the death toll was 279 or 270. The BBC outlets (bbc.co.uk and bbc.com) report 270, while aljazeera.com, fides.org, iol.co.za, and rte.ie report 279. Which figure appears in the court's official verdict or Sri Lankan government sources?
- Confirm the count of foreign deaths. npr.org and timesofindia.indiatimes.com report 42 foreigners killed, while most other outlets report 45. Which is correct according to official sources?
- Clarify the precise number of defendants convicted on all charges versus some charges. The headline discrepancy (14 vs. 15) turns on whether iol.co.za and rte.ie were referring only to those convicted on all charges, or whether there is a substantive disagreement about the verdict breakdown.
What was checked, and against what
Nothing here could be settled from a primary source. 1 cannot be established from public sources and is listed below. Every document is linked so you can read the same record we did. Anything not confirmed is listed as such rather than left out.
- cannot be established The BBC outlets (bbc.co.uk and bbc.com) report 270, while aljazeera.com, fides.org, iol.co.za, and rte.ie report 279. Which figure appears in the court's official verdict or Sri Lankan government sources?The disagreement between outlets is itself the finding. No primary source is needed to report that they differ.