Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena announces a ban on face covering in the country, a week after militants carried out coordinated suicide bombings that killed more than 250 people
The death toll in Sri Lanka's Easter Day attack is around 100 fewer than the 359 originally thought, a top health official told"It could be 250 or 260. I can't exactly say.
The office issued a statement on Thursday saying that Hemasiri Fernando would continue to serve until his replacement has been appointed.Sri Lankan authorities released a list of names and photos of six suspects wanted in connection with the Easter Sunday attacks – but had to retract one of them due to a case of mistaken identity.
One of the nine bombers was a woman, deputy defence minister Wijewardene told reporters on Wednesday. "I hope to make major changes in the leadership of the security forces in the next 24 hours," the president said in a nationwide address.More militants still 'out there' - PM The toll from the coordinated bombings at churches, luxury hotels and other sites now stands at 321 dead and 500 wounded.
New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern's office also added that it understood "the Sri Lankan investigation into the attack is in its early stages."FBI assisting Sri Lanka authorities with probe of bomb attacks - FBI "The initial investigation has revealed that this was in retaliation for the New Zealand mosque attack," junior minister for defence Wijewardene told parliament.
"By now it has been established that the intelligence units were aware of this attack and a group of responsible people were informed about the impending attack," Wijewardene said. "However, this information has been circulated among only a few officials."Authorities in Sri Lanka further increased security measures on Tuesday after the Easter Sunday suicide bombings.
The intelligence report attached to his letter said the NTJ was targeting "some important churches" in a suicide terrorist attack that was planned to take place "shortly." The purported leader of the NTJ began posting videos online three years ago calling for non-Muslims to be "eliminated," faith leaders said on Tuesday.
As a state of emergency took effect on Tuesday giving the Sri Lankan military war-time powers, police arrested 40 suspects, including the driver of a van allegedly used by the suicide bombers and the owner of a house where some of them lived. The military was given a wider berth to detain and arrest suspects — powers that were used during the civil war but withdrawn when it ended.
According to the digital rights group NetBlocks, Sri Lanka blocked Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram, YouTube, Viber, Snapchat and Facebook Messenger following the Easter bombings targeting churches and hotels.A total of 39 foreign nationals, including two Turkish people, lost their lives in the terror attacks in Sri Lanka, local media reported.
The statement also said that Sirisena would meet with foreign diplomats to seek international assistance. Police had been warned this month about a possible attack on churches by a little-known domestic extremist group, according to a document seen byBut Prime Minister Wickremesinghe had not been told of the report, dated April 11, that said a foreign intelligence agency had warned of attacks on churches by domestic militant group NTJ, Health Minister Rajith Senaratne told reporters.
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