Colombo  - A journalist arrested on suspicion of helping Tamil rebels to carry out an air raid in Sri Lanka's capital Colombo was released by a court on Friday after the investigators failed to prove the allegations against him.

The editor of the Tamil daily Sudar Oli, N. Vithyatharan, who had been held by police since February 26, was accused of maintaining telephone links with the rebels who carried out a suicide attack by air in the capital on January 24.

When the Colombo Criminal Division (CCD) in charge of the investigation failed to provide evidence to link the journalist to the attack, he was released by Colombo Magistrate Ginhan Pilapitiya.

Investigators spent two months going through hundreds of phone calls made and received by the journalist. Police also checked his bank accounts without finding any link with the Tamil Tigers.

Justice has been delayed, but not denied, the journalist said on leaving court.

"Why did they need to detain me for two months over completely false accusations?" he asked.(dpa)