There was no claim of responsibility for Sunday’s attacks but suspicion was focusing on Islamist militants.
Sri Lanka said on Monday it was invoking emergency powers in the aftermath of devastating bomb attacks on hotels and churches, blamed on militants with foreign links, which killed 290 people and wounded nearly 500.
Police had received a tip-off of a possible attack on churches by a little-known domestic Islamist group this month, according to a document seen byThe intelligence report, dated April 11, said a foreign intelligence agency had warned authorities of possible attacks on churches by the National Thawheed Jama’ut. It was not immediately clear what action, if any, was taken in response to the tip-off.
Most of the attacks came during Easter services and when hotel guests were sitting down for breakfast buffets. US President Donald Trump called Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe to pledge US support in bringing the perpetrators to justice, a White House spokesman said. Most of the dead and wounded were Sri Lankans although government officials said 32 foreigners were killed, including British, US, Australian, Turkish, Indian, Chinese, Danish, Dutch and Portuguese nationals.
An Australian survivor, identified only as Sam, told Australia’s 3AW radio the hotel was a scene of “absolute carnage”.
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