Islamist group accused of suicide bombings in Sri Lanka
The Sri Lankan government has blamed an extremist Islamist group for the deadly bombings in the country. Sri Lankan police have been notified of a suicide attack. Police have recovered a bomb and 87 new bomb detonators.
On Monday, April 22, the Sri Lankan government announced that a radical Islamist group called the National Thowheed Jamaat was responsible for Sunday's suicide attacks.
On Sunday, eight bombs exploded in three churches and three hotels in Colombo and the city of Negombo, killing at least 300 people and injuring about 500.
Not much information is available about the aforementioned Islamist group.
A car bomb was also found on Monday near one of the churches attacked on Sunday. A Sri Lankan police spokesman said the car exploded while it was being defused. There were no reports of damage.
Police also announced that they had seized 87 bomb detonators in Colombo on Sunday and Monday.
According to the German news agency, 24 suspects have been arrested so far. All of those arrested are said to be Sri Lankan citizens, but the country's government is looking for clues that these individuals may be collaborating with foreign extremist groups.
Dispute between the government and the president
According to reports published so far, Sri Lankan security forces were aware of the terrorist operation 10 days before the attacks.
On April 11, Sri Lanka's deputy police chief warned of the incident in a confidential letter. He cited the violent speeches of several influential Muslims, whose names were also mentioned. The speakers had been preaching violence against other religions in response to the gun attack on two mosques in New Zealand in March.
Rajitha Senaratne, the Minister of Health and Government Spokesperson of Sri Lanka, reported that there is tension between the Prime Minister and the President of the country. The security forces are under the command of President Sirisena. Perhaps for this reason, the letter from the Deputy Police Chief did not reach the Prime Minister.
Senaratne told reporters: "This (Sri Lanka) is the only country where when the Prime Minister calls the Security Council to meet, the members of the Security Council do not attend the meeting."
The majority of Sri Lankan citizens are Buddhist. About 10 percent are Muslim, and eight percent of the country's population is Christian.
Source: DW
