Eight blasts inside churches and hotels in Sri Lanka on Catholic Easter Sunday have killed 215 people and injured 450, according to a new report, the worst form of violence in the country since the end of the civil war ten years ago. . Although no action has been taken, Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe has said he will seek outside support to determine if the perpetrators of the attack are linked to international terrorism.
"We will not allow terrorism to raise its head in Sri Lanka. "All measures will be taken to eliminate it," he stressed.
A spokesman for the Air Force said an improvised explosive device had been found and defused near Bandaranaike International Airport, 30km from Colombo. The spokesman said the explosives were found inside a plastic tube, about 2km from the international airport.
The prime minister also announced that eight people had been arrested in Sri Lanka in connection with the wave of attacks that shook the island. "So far, the names we have are from our place, but researchers are trying to find out if these people may have ties to abroad," Ranil Wickremessing said in a televised speech. He acknowledged that there was information about the dangers of attacks, which "should be investigated".
National Police Chief Pujut Jayasundara had issued a warning ten days ago, based on information from a foreign intelligence service, stressing that the Islamist movement NTJ (National Thowheeth Jama'ath) was planning "suicide bombings" against major churches and churches in Colombo. The NTJ became known last year for vandalizing Buddhist statues.
"We also need to look at the reasons why the appropriate precautions have not been taken," he said, adding that the government's first priority was to "arrest the terrorists." "First of all, we must ensure that terrorism does not manifest itself in Sri Lanka."
- Source: ΑΠΕ-ΜΠΕ / ΑΓ.