His Excellency Ambassador Abdul Nasser bin Hussein al-Harethi



You should carry out the following measures immediately:



First: You should delete all documents, computer data and latest correspondence with domestic and foreign members and groups, in addition to imposing a curfew for the embassy personnel unless [travel] is necessary;



Second: You should inform all those related to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia - including counselors, security forces and intelligence during the three coming days, especially on the Christian Easter Day - to avoid presence in public and crowded places, namely churches;



Third: You should send written news about the Sri Lankan authorities and their viewpoints regularly to this ministry



Ibrahim bin Abdul Aziz al-Assaf

Foreign Minister

The memo dovetails with other new evidence

Extent of Saudi role

"We need to use our diplomatic and more traditional intelligence assets to bring pressure on the governments of Qatar and Saudi Arabia, which are providing clandestine financial and logistic support to ISIS and other radical groups in the region."

About the author



Whitney Webb is a MintPress News journalist based in Chile. She has contributed to several independent media outlets including Global Research, EcoWatch, the Ron Paul Institute and 21st Century Wire, among others. She has made several radio and television appearances and is the 2019 winner of the Serena Shim Award for Uncompromised Integrity in Journalism.

New evidence suggests that the government of Saudi Arabia not only had foreknowledge of the brutal bombings (and did nothing to stop them)A leaked Saudi diplomatic memo obtained by Lebanese outlet Alahed News claims thatThe contents of the memo, whichare supported by theThe document carries the Islamic calendar (Hijri) date of 11/8/1440, which equates to April 17, 2019 in the Gregorian calendar - just a few days before the bombings - and isIt carries the labelsandThe brief memo states the following (translated from Arabic):. MintPress was unable to obtain a copy for independent confirmation of its authenticity.The contents of the memo from the Saudi foreign minister to the Saudi ambassador to Sri Lanka, particularly its indication of prior knowledge of danger in crowded places and churches on Easter Sunday, have taken on a new significance following the arrest According to a plaque outside of the Wahhabi religious center operated by Aliyar, the center is funded by unnamed Saudi and Kuwaiti donors.A statement released by Sri Lankan police stated that "Information has been revealed that the suspect arrested [Mohamed Aliyar] had a close relationship with ... Zahran and had beenA group of board members of the center, who spoke to the South China Morning Post prior to Aliyar's arrest, stated that the center was funded by "local donations, student fees, and private donors who were classmates of Aliyar's in Riyadh;" denounced Zahran Hashim as a "troublemaker;" and could not recall having seen him at the center recently. However, the police statement that followed Aliyar's arrest suggested that his relationship with Zahran Hashim was not a part of his public persona.Of key interest in the police statement is the mention ofSeveral reports, such as this one from the BBC, noted thatAliyar's connections to wealthy Saudi donors and to Zahran suggest that he may have been a liaison for much of that funding.In addition, the leaked memo's instruction for the Saudi ambassador to "delete all documents, computer data and latest correspondence with domestic and foreign members and groups," suggests that the Saudi Embassy in Sri Lanka may have been aware or party to these or other transactions related to the Zahran-led attacks.While it is possible that funding had come from elsewhere, the fact thatsuggests that the amount of money involved in funding this operation was significant indeed and likely of foreign origin.since the Saudi government was revealed to be funding and logistically aiding the terror group in 2014.The leaked memo contained in the email to Clinton states:While mainstream reports have long asserted that it was private Saudi donors funding the terror group,The Islamic State's widely acknowledged role in the attacks and its known relationship to the Saudis - in combination with the recent arrest and role of Mohamed Aliyar in the attacks and the contents of the memo from the Saudi Foreign Minister -