Sri Lanka frees Indian 'spy' linked to plot

A man accused by Sri Lanka's president of orchestrating a plot to assassinate him was cleared of any wrongdoing by a court in Colombo yesterday.

Investigators said there was no credible evidence the man was plotting to kill Maithripala Sirisena, who justified sacking his prime minister in October in part because cabinet was not taking the alleged threat against his life seriously enough.

But Magistrate Jayantha Nanayakkara discharged the accused Indian national Merceli Thomas without charge, concluding he was not a foreign spy and there was no evidence against him.

Sirisena had expressed anger in October that his government never seriously investigated what he called a foreign plot to kill him.