Home Minister Ali Ihusan said yesterday that police body camera footage from the scene of the fire that gutted the Housing Ministry and two other ministry buildings will be released this week, along with further details of the investigation.

Speaking to reporters outside Velaanaage, Ihusan said he would request the police to hold a press conference, adding that he believes it can be arranged sometime this week. He confirmed that all body camera footage from officers who responded to the scene would be shown at the briefing.

“They will show it. They will show it. All the footage will be shown,” Ihusan said when asked whether the body cam recordings would be made public.

The fire, which broke out in late 2024, spread from the Housing Ministry to two neighbouring ministry buildings. A police press conference on the investigation had been scheduled last year but was cancelled at the last minute, and no details of the probe have been disclosed publicly since.

Speaking in Parliament last August, Ihusan said the investigation had been concluded and that the fire was not an act of arson. He said body cam footage from the first officers on the scene confirmed that the blaze originated from wiring inside an air conditioning unit in the ceiling.

However, earlier this month, former President Abdulla Yameen alleged that the fire was deliberately set and claimed the police knew who was responsible. Following those remarks, Ihusan ordered an inquiry and a summons was issued for Yameen to appear at police headquarters. Yameen declined to accept the summons and responded in a letter stating that he had no further information on the matter.