A LTTE arms dealer found guilty of supplying bomb-making equipment to Tamil Tiger terrorists has been jailed for two years by a court in London. The judge said yesterday that the convict, Arunachalam Chrishanthakumar, had broken the British law before sentencing him to jail. Chrishanthakumar, 52, was the alleged LTTE leader in Britain. He was convicted in April of coordinating supplies of material to the LTTE.His jail term was handed down at the Old Bailey, the central criminal court in London, two months after the end of a trial held at Kingston Crown Court in southwest London.
"This was a protracted, deliberate breaking of a law. These are very serious offences which warrant substantial sentences. The terrorist law has to be obeyed as part of our obligations internationally," said the judge.
During the trial, prosecutor Jonathan Laidlaw said police became aware in 2004 that Chrishanthakumar was buying military clothing and equipment intended for shipment to terrorist groups in Sri Lanka. The material was found to include computers, printed circuit boards, remote control equipment, radio transmission components and satellite equipment.
Chrishanthakumar claimed he was trying to help poor farmers. However, the British police carried out a search of his home and found that he was engaging in shady deals with the LTTE supplying bomb-making equipment. Chrishanthakumar had headed the United Tamil Organization in Britain before it became outlawed in 2001. The LTTE is designated a terrorist organization under British law.
