COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) — Sri Lanka's former defense chief, a presidential hopeful, says he will empower the state's intelligence sector with necessary legal cover for their duties to secure the country in the aftermath of the deadly Easter Sunday bomb blasts.

Gotabaya Rajapaksa, a powerful defense official in the government of his brother, former President Mahinda Rajapaksa, is accused of using his intelligence team for extrajudicial killings, abductions and torture of dissidents and Tamil rebel suspects during the island nation's long civil war.

A number of former intelligence personnel are currently under detention for allegedly killing a journalist, and allegedly attempting to kill, abduct and torture others.

Gotabaya Rajapaksa declared in his first election rally last week that he will release all military personnel under detention after he comes to power.