Zahran Hashim
- April 26, 2019
- 33 years
- suicide bombing
About Zahran Hashim
Zahran Hashim, 33, Islamist militant, suicide bombing.
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Full Biography
|Mohamed Hashim Mohamed Zahran (සහ්රාන් හාෂිම්; 1985 – 21 April 2019), known as Zahran Hashim or Hashem, was a Sri Lankan Islamist militant and the founder of the National Thowheeth Jama'ath (NTJ). He was identified by Sri Lankan authorities as well as international intelligence bodies as the mastermind behind the 2019 Sri Lanka Easter bombings, a series of coordinated suicide attacks on churches and hotels that killed 269 people and injured approximately 500. He was one of the two suicide bombers in the Shangri-La Hotel, one of the attack's target.
Early life and education
Mohamed Hashim Mohamed Zahran was born in Kattankudy, a small seaside town in eastern Sri Lanka, one of four children. His family was poor; his father sold packets of food on the street, and was reputed to be a petty thief.
Hashim attended Jamiathul Falah Arabic College in Colombo, but was expelled in 2005 as he believed that the school was teaching a version of Islam that was too moderate.
Radical preaching
Hashim joined the Dharul Athar mosque in 2006, and was on its management committee for three years before they had a disagreement. The committee banned him from preaching for three months in 2009.
In 2012, he founded a mosque of his own. He began engaging in extremism in 2013, although only started preaching violent extremism in 2016. He began releasing online videos preaching radical Islam, calling for jihad and threatening bloodshed.
Hashim founded a hardline Islamist group, National Thowheeth Jama'ath (NTJ), a militant splinter group of another group, the Sri Lanka Thowheed Jamath. (According to the BBC, he may have been expelled from the NTJ owing to making hate speeches, and it is possible that he founded yet another group.)
2019 Easter bombings and death
Hashim led a local militant group that pledged allegiance to the Islamic State (ISIS). On 21 April 2019, the group carried out coordinated suicide bombings on churches and hotels on Easter Sunday, with Hashim named as the primary planner of the attacks. The attacks targeted three churches and three luxury hotels in Colombo, Negombo, and Batticaloa.
Hashim himself was one of the suicide bombers alongside Ilham Ahmed Mohamed Ibrahim, detonating explosives at the Shangri-La Hotel in Colombo on the morning of the attacks. While Ilham bombed the Shangri-La Hotel alongside Hashim, his brother Inshaf Ahmed Ibrahim detonated explosives nearby at the Cinnamon Grand Hotel.
Apart from the 9 attackers, 269 people were killed in the attacks, and more than 500 were injured. Three days after the bombings, Amaq News Agency, the propaganda arm of ISIS released a video in which Hashim appeared alongside the other attackers, pledging allegiance to the Islamic State’s leader, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. Hashim, whose face was uncovered, led the oath while the others stood behind him. During the video, Hashim claimed that the attacks were carried out in revenge for the Christchurch mosque shootings.
On 26 April 2019, there was a shootout at a "safe house" in Sainthamaruthu in Ampara District on the east coast, in which at least 15 people, three of whom wore suicide vests, including 6 children, were shot dead, and Hashim's wife and daughter were wounded.
On the same day, during a security forces raid on a safe house in the Colombo suburb of Dematagoda, His several associates detonated suicide vests, killing themselves. His identity was later confirmed through DNA testing.
Personal life
Aged 23, Hashim married a 14-year-old girl from a small town near Colombo took her to his home town of Kattankudy. They had a daughter.
His sister, Mohamed Hashim Mathaniya, was involved in assisting law enforcement after the bombing.
Content from Wikipedia — licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0
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Sources
- Wikipedia
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zahran_Hashim
- CC BY-SA 4.0
- Sep 26, 2026
- View article
- View record
- October 21, 2026
- Sep 26, 2026
Trivia & Knowledge· 15 questions
Questions drawn from Zahran Hashim's archived record and the sources above.
1.In what year did Mohamed Hashim Mohamed Zahran die?
- A.2012
- B.2019correct
- C.2009
- D.2016
Mohamed Hashim Mohamed Zahran died on 21 April 2019.
Source: biography header
2.In which seaside town was Mohamed Hashim Mohamed Zahran born?
- A.Negombo
- B.Batticaloa
- C.Kattankudycorrect
- D.Colombo
Mohamed Hashim Mohamed Zahran was born in the small seaside town of Kattankudy in eastern Sri Lanka.
Source: early life and education section
3.What was the occupation of Mohamed Hashim Mohamed Zahran's father?
- A.Working at a luxury hotel
- B.Selling food packetscorrect
- C.Fishing in the sea
- D.Teaching at a local mosque
The father of Mohamed Hashim Mohamed Zahran sold packets of food on the street.
Source: early life and education section
4.Why was Mohamed Hashim Mohamed Zahran expelled from Jamiathul Falah Arabic College in 2005?
- A.For failing to attend classes
- B.For stealing food from the campus
- C.For fighting with other students
- D.For believing the school taught a too moderate version of Islamcorrect
Mohamed Hashim Mohamed Zahran was expelled from school because he believed the version of Islam being taught was too moderate.
Source: early life and education section
5.In what year did Mohamed Hashim Mohamed Zahran join the Dharul Athar mosque?
- A.2006correct
- B.2005
- C.2012
- D.2016
Mohamed Hashim Mohamed Zahran joined the Dharul Athar mosque in 2006.
Source: radical preaching section
6.When did Mohamed Hashim Mohamed Zahran begin preaching violent extremism?
- A.2016correct
- B.2009
- C.2019
- D.2012
While Mohamed Hashim Mohamed Zahran began engaging in extremism in 2013, he only started preaching violent extremism in 2016.
Source: radical preaching section
7.What is the full name of the hardline Islamist group founded by Mohamed Hashim Mohamed Zahran?
- A.Sri Lanka Thowheed Jamath
- B.Islamic State Sri Lanka
- C.Dharul Athar Movement
- D.National Thowheeth Jama'athcorrect
Mohamed Hashim Mohamed Zahran founded the National Thowheeth Jama'ath, a militant splinter group.
Source: radical preaching section
8.How many people were killed in the 2019 Easter bombings, excluding the attackers?
- A.500
- B.15
- C.6
- D.269correct
Apart from the 9 attackers, 269 people were killed during the 2019 Easter bombings.
Source: 2019 Easter bombings and death section
9.At which hotel did Mohamed Hashim Mohamed Zahran detonate his explosives?
- A.Cinnamon Grand Hotel
- B.Batticaloa Hotel
- C.Shangri-La Hotelcorrect
- D.Dematagoda Resort
Mohamed Hashim Mohamed Zahran was one of the two suicide bombers at the Shangri-La Hotel.
Source: 2019 Easter bombings and death section
10.Who detonated explosives at the Cinnamon Grand Hotel alongside Inshaf Ahmed Ibrahim?
- A.Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi
- B.Inshaf Ahmed Ibrahim
- C.Ilham Ahmed Mohamed Ibrahimcorrect
- D.Mohamed Hashim Mohamed Zahran
While Ilham bombed the Shangri-La with Zahran, his brother Inshaf Ahmed Ibrahim bombed the Cinnamon Grand Hotel.
Source: 2019 Easter bombings and death section
11.According to Mohamed Hashim Mohamed Zahran in the ISIS propaganda video, why were the attacks carried out?
- A.In honor of his father
- B.In revenge for the Christchurch mosque shootingscorrect
- C.To overthrow the government
- D.Because he was expelled from his mosque
In the video released by Amaq News Agency, Mohamed Hashim Mohamed Zahran claimed the attacks were revenge for the Christchurch mosque shootings.
Source: 2019 Easter bombings and death section
12.How was the identity of Mohamed Hashim Mohamed Zahran confirmed after the raids?
- A.Fingerprint analysis
- B.Confession of his sister
- C.Photographic identification
- D.DNA testingcorrect
The identity of Mohamed Hashim Mohamed Zahran was confirmed through DNA testing after the raids on safe houses.
Source: 2019 Easter bombings and death section
13.How old was Mohamed Hashim Mohamed Zahran when he married his wife?
- A.14
- B.23correct
- C.29
- D.26
Mohamed Hashim Mohamed Zahran was aged 23 when he married a 14-year-old girl.
Source: personal life section
14.What is the name of Mohamed Hashim Mohamed Zahran's sister who assisted law enforcement?
- A.Kattankudy Zahran
- B.Ilham Ahmed Ibrahim
- C.Mohamed Hashim Mathaniyacorrect
- D.None of these
Mohamed Hashim Mohamed Zahran's sister, Mohamed Hashim Mathaniya, was involved in assisting law enforcement after the bombing.
Source: personal life section
15.Which leader did Mohamed Hashim Mohamed Zahran pledge allegiance to in the ISIS video?
- A.The leader of the NTJ
- B.Ilham Ahmed Mohamed Ibrahim
- C.Abu Bakr al-Baghdadicorrect
- D.Inshaf Ahmed Ibrahim
Mohamed Hashim Mohamed Zahran appeared in an ISIS video pledging allegiance to their leader, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.
Source: 2019 Easter bombings and death section
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