25 Facts About Selvarasa Pathmanathan

Selvarasa Pathmanathan is wanted by India's law enforcement agencies in connection with the assassination of former Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi in 1991 and for violation of the Terrorist Act and the Indian Explosive Act.

Selvarasa Pathmanathan was released from prison on 17 October 2012, when the complaints against him by Sri Lanka were withdrawn.

Selvarasa Pathmanathan was born Shanmugam Kumaran Tharmalingam on 6 April 1955 in the town of Kankesanthurai in the Jaffna District of Ceylon.

Selvarasa Pathmanathan is known to use more than 23 aliases and masks.

Selvarasa Pathmanathan was one of the top LTTE officials and the chief procurer of arms for the organization.

Selvarasa Pathmanathan ran a global network of LTTE offices which were engaged in its weapons procurement, logistics and money laundering operations.

Selvarasa Pathmanathan then moved to Thailand, which became a safe haven for the LTTE.

Selvarasa Pathmanathan is believed to have obtained citizenship in Thailand.

Selvarasa Pathmanathan was responsible for equipping the rebels with a modern-day arsenal which enabled them to challenge the Sri Lankan Military and to fight a high intensity war.

Selvarasa Pathmanathan procured modern hardware, paid for them through secret bank accounts, and shipped them to the rebels using a merchant shipping network operated by the "KP Department", known as the "sea pigeons".

Apart from setting up a number of lucrative businesses in Thailand, Selvarasa Pathmanathan established a state-of-the-art boatyard in the country, which manufactured over a dozen different boats, including mini-submarines and suicide boats.

Intelligence agencies believe that Selvarasa Pathmanathan had links with the planning of the assassination of Rajiv Gandhi.

Sweden, where Selvarasa Pathmanathan was believed to be hiding at the time, was one of the countries.

In January 2009 Selvarasa Pathmanathan was appointed head of the newly created "Department of International Relations".

Selvarasa Pathmanathan was LTTE's chief international spokesman during the last months of the civil war.

Selvarasa Pathmanathan urged Prabhakaran who was trapped in the No Fire Zone to escape and promised that he could break the naval blockade.

Selvarasa Pathmanathan talked to Charles Anthony who instead requested more weapons.

Selvarasa Pathmanathan was left as the most senior LTTE member following the death of most of the LTTE's leadership, including Prabhakaran, in the final stages of the civil war.

On 21 July 2009 a statement was issued, allegedly from the executive committee of the LTTE, stating that Selvarasa Pathmanathan had been appointed leader of the LTTE.

Selvarasa Pathmanathan was the subject of a worldwide manhunt, which involved police from cities including Johannesburg, Yangon, Singapore and Bangkok.

Selvarasa Pathmanathan was believed to have had bank accounts in London, Frankfurt, Denmark, Athens and Australia and over 200 passports for his use.

Selvarasa Pathmanathan was arrested in a South East Asian country on 5 August 2009.

On 9 July 2010, Selvarasa Pathmanathan established the North-East Rehabilitation and Development Organization, a Non-Governmental Organization for the provision of relief to the Internally Displaced Persons while upgrading facilities for better physical, mental and living conditions for them.

In October 2012, media sources reported that Selvarasa Pathmanathan was being released from custody, quoting the head of Media Center for National Security Lakshman Hulugalle.

Later he rejected the reports by saying Selvarasa Pathmanathan who is under special protection was permitted to engage in his NGO work and has not been released as claimed by media.