The youngest brother of Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena died in hospital yesterday after being attacked by a man wielding an axe two days earlier, police said.
Priyantha Sirisena, a father of three, suffered severe head injuries in his hometown of Polonnaruwa, 215km northeast of Colombo, police said.
The local businessman’s death came as the president was in China on a state visit.
Police said they had arrested a man in connection with the attack and an investigation was under way.
The government in a statement said that Priyantha Sirisena was “attacked during an altercation with a friend” on Thursday evening.
Police had initially given Priyantha Sirisena’s age as 40, but the government statement said he was 42.
Official sources said Priyantha Sirisena was the youngest in a family of 12 children.
The president’s brother was flown to the capital for emergency treatment, but his head injuries were so severe that, despite surgery, he did not recover, doctors said.
Maithripala Sirisena came to power following bitterly fought January presidential elections. Unlike most former Sri Lankan leaders, Maithripala Sirisena has not extended personal security for his siblings and is known to have drastically scaled down his own protection unit.
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