July 03, Colombo: Breakaway rebel party leader Vinayagamoorthy Muralitharan alias Karuna Amman returned to the country this morning in a SriLankan flight from London, sources said.

Escorted by British police officials, Karuna was handed over to the Sri Lanka police at the Katunayake International Airport soon after the landing. Later he was taken to Colombo amid tight security.

The renegade Eastern military leader of the LTTE served a six-month prison term in the United Kingdom for entering that country on a false diplomatic passport last year.