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Senior officials deliberately withheld intelligence about possible attacks on Sri Lanka, where a wave of suicide bombings on Easter Sunday killed at least 359 people, according to the leader of the country's parliament.

"Some top intelligence officials hid the intelligence information purposefully. Information was there, but the top brass security officials did not take appropriate actions," Lakshman Kiriella, who is also minister of public enterprise, told parliament.

Indian intelligence containing information on possible suicide attacks on churches, hotels and politicians were received on April 4, according to the minister.

A Security Council meeting was chaired by President Maithripala Sirisena on April 7, but the information was not shared more widely.

"Somebody is controlling these top intelligence officials," the minister said. "The Security Council is doing politics. We need to investigate into this [sic]," he said.

'Stern action'
President Maithripala Sirisena announced in an address to the nation on Tuesday that he will “restructure the police and security forces in the coming weeks” and change “the heads of defence establishments within the next 24 hours".

“The security officials who got the intelligence report from a foreign nation did not share it with me. I have decided to take stern action against these officials."

The announcement came after health Minister Rajitha Senaratne told reporters on Monday that authorities had been warned two weeks ago that an attack was imminent.

“On April 9, the chief of national intelligence wrote a letter and in this letter, many of the names of the members of the terrorist organisation were written down,” Senaratne said.

“The prime minister was not informed by [sic] these letters and revelations," he added.

Wickremesinghe, meanwhile, blamed a “ breakdown in communication” between his office and the President for the information not being shared and added that the difference of opinion between the two men had now been “thrashed out.”

The President is responsible for national security and intelligence, but tensions between the two men have been high since Sirinesa dismissed Wickremesinghe in October over political differences before being forced to reinstate him following pressure from the Supreme Court.