Sepala Ekanayake

Sepala Ekanayake (or Ekanayaka; born in Karatota, Matara, Sri Lanka) gained international notoriety after hijacking an Alitalia Boeing 747 with 340 passengers on June 30, 1982.

Life and career

Early life Ekanayake attended a village school and Yodakandiya Vidyalaya in Hambantota. As a child he ran away from his father's home and stayed with the headmaster of Ananda Primary for six months.

In 1972 Ekanayake moved to West Germany. In Germany he formed a romantic relationship with an Italian woman. They were married in 1977. In 1980 they relocated to Modena, Italy and had a son.

Ekanayake reluctantly did and the Italian government demanded that he be handed over to them. Public opinion in Sri Lanka opposed this move; some in Sri Lanka even deemed Ekanayake a hero. Eventually he was arrested in Galle and sent to Welikada Prison. Sri Lanka passed new legislation in order to try him in their courts and sentenced him to five years in prison. His wife and son returned safely to Italy. According to Rajan Hoole's book Sri Lanka: The Arrogance of Power: Myths, Decadence and Murder, Ekanayake was allegedly involved in the 1983 Welikada prison massacre of Tamil inmates. Ekanayake, who was released in 1987, denied involvement.