Sri Lankan Prez declares nationwide emergency from midnight; outfit behind blasts identified

Rauff Hakeem, a government minister and the leader of the main Muslim party - Sri Lanka Muslim Congress, said that it was lamentable that no preventive action had been taken despite the inputs.

Negombo: Lalitha, center, weeps over the coffin with the remains of 12-year old niece, Sneha Savindi, who was a victim of Easter Sunday bombing at St. Sebastian Church, after it returned home in Negombo, Sri Lanka, Monday, April 22, 2019. Easter Sunday bombings of churches, luxury hotels and other sites was Sri Lanka's deadliest violence since a devastating civil war in the South Asian island nation ended a decade ago. AP/PTI

Rauff Hakeem, a government minister and the leader of the main Muslim party - Sri Lanka Muslim Congress, said that it was lamentable that no preventive action had been taken despite the inputs.

Two Sri Lankan Muslim groups - the All Ceylon Jamiyyathul Ulama and the National Shoora Council - have condemned the blasts and offered condolences to the Christian community.

They have urged that all culprits be brought to book.

Colombo: Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena has declared a nationwide emergency from midnight on Monday following Easter Sunday suicide bomb blasts at churches and five-star hotels that claimed lives of approximately 290 people and wounded more than 500.  "The government has decided to gazette the sections dealing with prevention of terrorism under emergency regulations from midnight today," statement from the president's media cell said. A local outfit identified as the National Tawheed Jamath is suspected of plotting the deadly Easter blasts which is seen as the worst terror attack in the country's history, a top Sri Lankan minister said on Monday. Health Minister and the government spokesman, Rajitha Senaratne, also said that all suicide bombers involved in the blasts are believed to be Sri Lankan nationals. Speaking at a press conference here, the minister said that the Chief of National Intelligence had warned the Inspector General of Police (IGP) regarding the probable attacks before April 11. "On April 4, international intelligence agencies had warned of these attacks. The IGP was informed on April 9," Senaratne said. He said that the local outfit identified as the National Tawheed Jamath - a radical Muslim group - is suspected of plotting the deadly explosions. "There may be international links to them," he added.

The government has decided to gazette the sections dealing with prevention of terrorism under emergency regulations from midnight today- PMD pic.twitter.com/hrNYe6yiY9

— @rishma.. (@riz_mira) April 22, 2019

Senaratne sought resignation of police chief Pujith Jayasundera in view of the major security lapse. Rauff Hakeem, a government minister and the leader of the main Muslim party - Sri Lanka Muslim Congress, said that it was lamentable that no preventive action had been taken despite the inputs. "They have known this..., the names have been given, identified, but (they) took no action," he added. Two Sri Lankan Muslim groups - the All Ceylon Jamiyyathul Ulama and the National Shoora Council - have condemned the blasts and offered condolences to the Christian community. They have urged that all culprits be brought to book. Seven suicide bombers were involved in eight blasts that targeted St Anthony's Church in Colombo, St Sebastian's Church in Negombo and Zeon Church in Batticaloa when the Easter Sunday mass were in progress. The explosions also struck three five-star hotels in Colombo - the Shangri-La, the Cinnamon Grand and the Kingsbury. No group has claimed responsibility for Sunday's attacks, but police have so far arrested 24 people. (With additional information from PTI)

Published at : 22 Apr 2019 02:47 PM (IST)

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