The 19-year-old charged with killing six people in an Ottawa suburb last week is being held in protective custody, his lawyer said Thursday.

Febrio De-Zoysa was arrested March 6 and is charged with six counts of first-degree murder and one count of attempted murder. "I can comment that he's in protective custody. He's doing OK," his lawyer, Ewan Lyttle, told reporters after a brief court appearance that took place by phone.

De-Zoysa's matter was adjourned until March 28 to give Lyttle time to receive and begin reviewing disclosure from the Crown, a process he suggested would take months. Police say De-Zoysa, who came to Canada as an international student, had been living with the victims, who were also newcomers from Sri Lanka.

They included 35-year-old Darshani Ekanayake, her husband Dhanushka Wickramasinghe and their four children. Ekanayake had moved to Canada in recent months with three children — Inuka, 7, Ashwini, 4 and Ranaya, 3. Kelly was born in Canada two-and-a-half months ago.

Wickramasinghe was taken to hospital with injuries to his hands and face. A friend who had been living with them, 40-year-old Gamini Amarakoon Amarakoon Mudiyanselage, was also killed. He had a wife and two children living in Sri Lanka.

Naradha Kodituwakku of the Buddhist Congress of Canada has been among those supporting Wickramasinghe while he recovers. Kodituwakku said Wickramasinghe was still in hospital as of Thursday afternoon and his father and brother had arrived from Sri Lanka to support him.

The funeral for his wife and children is expected to be held this weekend. A monk at the temple the family attended told The Canadian Press last week that Wickramasinghe arrived home late from his cleaning service job to find that his family was dead.

Bhante Suneetha, the resident monk at Hilda Jayewardenaramaya Buddhist Monastery, said that's when Wickramasinghe was attacked. Suneetha also said Wickramasinghe told him the suspect had been having difficulties at school.

Lyttle said he has been in touch with the suspect's family and that they are "obviously very upset." He said they do not live in Sri Lanka, but he declined to say where they have been living.

An aunt who lives in Ottawa told Global News last week that De-Zoysa stayed with her when he arrived in Canada two years ago, but that he had cut off communication with his family. Any potential request for De-Zoysa to undergo a mental-health assessment would "probably be a few months from now," Lyttle said.

He declined to comment on his client's mental state, saying only he had met with him in person and over video. Police have not publicly suggested a motive for the alleged murders. Chief Eric Stubbs told reporters last week the victims were attacked with a "knifelike object."

The deaths have triggered an outpouring of shock and grief from the community. Ottawa Mayor Mark Sutcliffe called the killings "one of the most shocking incidents of violence" in the city's history.

Three females and a male were arrested by the Sampur Police on Sunday night for violating a court order by holding a commemoration event in remembrance of the Mullivaikkal war dead. According to sources, the arrested had allegedly distributed porridge to neighbours in memory of their relatives who were killed during the armed conflict.

United States’ Assistant Secretary Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs, Donald Lu, called on President Ranil Wickremesinghe today (13) at the Presidential Secretariat.

Education Minister Susil Premajayantha revealed today that only 6,000 out of 34,000 pre-school teachers and assistant teachers in Sri Lanka are diploma holders.

Cabinet approval was granted today to commence the General Certificate of Education (GCE) Advanced Level (A/L) classes immediately after the completion of the GCE Ordinary Level (O/L) examinations.

Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) Parliamentarian Duminda Dissanayake today instituted legal action before the Colombo District Court challenging the appointment of Minister Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe and Keerthi Udawatta as SLFP Chairman and Acting General Secretary respectively.

Sri Lankan lawmaker Dayasiri Jayasekera speaking in Parliament highlighted the plight of Sri Lankan ex-servicemen fighting for Russia in the war against Ukraine, who have suffered amputations and lost limbs.

Sri Lanka Police officials have been caught on video behaving in an inhumane manner while arresting three women who had served porridge in memory of the Tamil people who were killed during the last phase of Sri Lanka’s war in Mullivaikal in 2009.

The number of Sri Lankan retired military personnel who have lost their lives in the Russia-Ukraine war has climbed to 14, according to Defense sources.

The birth rate in Sri Lanka is on a rapid decline, and currently it has decreased by 30%, Kalubowila Teaching Hospital gynecologist Prof. Ajith Fernando said. Addressing the media, the doctor said that the number of births, which was about 360,000, has decreased to about 240,000.

Defending the allegations on former President Mahinda Rajapaksa's decisions to construct an international airport, habour and cricket stadium in the Hambantota District, SLPP MP Chamal Rajapaksa said the issue is not the constructions but the failure to develop them as business ventures.

Clarifying the controversy over the GCE Ordinary Level (O/L) Science and English papers, Education Minister Susil Premajayantha said today that steps will be taken to ensure that no injustice is caused to any students.

Transport, Highways and Mass Media Minister Dr. Bandula Gunawardhana said the government’s income is Rs. 8,420 million and the expenditure is Rs.14,670 million so the amount in shortfall to meet the daily expenses is Rs.6250 million.

The passenger ferry services scheduled to begin operations on May 13 between Kankesanthurai in Sri Lanka and Nagapattinam in India wil be delayed further due to the delay in delivery of the ferry and unavoidable compliance requirements , IndSri Ferry Service Pvt. Ltd. said.

Former President Maithripala Sirisena stepped down from his role as Chairman of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) paving the way for a new leadership.

Venerable Omalpe Sobitha Thera told the Daily Mirror today that there are over 10 members currently serving in Parliament who hold dual citizenship and said that those MPs should be removed from their posts before the elections.

Approximately 25,000 soldiers have left the service of the Sri Lanka Army without having reported for duty in the past five years, The Sunday Morning learns.

Former President Mahinda Rajapaksa has expressed concern over the current government's plans to sell off national assets and state-owned enterprises, calling for the postponement of all such moves until after the next Presidential election, allowing the incoming government to address the issue according to its mandate.

The faction of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) under the leadership of former President Maithripala Sirisena has announced the appointment of Attorney-at-Law Keerthi Udawatte as the Acting General Secretary. This follows the appointment of new SLFP Chairman Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe.

Amid concerns over the presence of Chinese research vessels conducting surveys in the Indian Ocean, the US nominee to Sri Lanka Elizabeth K. Horst assured the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee to work with Sri Lanka to ensure a moratorium on these vessels remains in place.

The Sri Lanka Telecommunications (Amendment) Bill which seeks to penalize those who share false information over the telephone and cause public commotion was presented to Parliament.