Ronaldo7
First Class Captain
- Joined
- Apr 1, 2019
- Runs
- 6,171
Unfortunately It's soared to 290 now. Many are still injured. This isn't looking too good.
-
Contact the PP Team
Death toll surpasses 250 in Sri Lanka church, hotel attacks [IS claims responsibility Update#143]
- Thread starter Hitman
- Start date
Documents seen by AFP show that Sri Lanka's police chief Pujuth Jayasundara issued an intelligence alert to top officers 10 days ago, warning that suicide bombers planned to hit "prominent churches".
"A foreign intelligence agency has reported that the NTJ (National Thowheeth Jama'ath) is planning to carry out suicide attacks targeting prominent churches as well as the Indian high commission in Colombo," the alert said.
The NTJ is a radical Muslim group in Sri Lanka that was linked last year to the vandalisation of Buddhist statues.
https://www.afp.com/en/news/15/blasts-sri-lanka-hotels-and-churches-kill-156-doc-1ft48d4
"A foreign intelligence agency has reported that the NTJ (National Thowheeth Jama'ath) is planning to carry out suicide attacks targeting prominent churches as well as the Indian high commission in Colombo," the alert said.
The NTJ is a radical Muslim group in Sri Lanka that was linked last year to the vandalisation of Buddhist statues.
https://www.afp.com/en/news/15/blasts-sri-lanka-hotels-and-churches-kill-156-doc-1ft48d4
Romali_rotti
Senior ODI Player
- Joined
- Feb 10, 2005
- Runs
- 21,901
Incorrect, Sinhalese are a race of people which have a mixture of Buddhist, Christians & even Muslims..
Ronaldo7
First Class Captain
- Joined
- Apr 1, 2019
- Runs
- 6,171
That's a fake document. It has been proven to be fake.
Ronaldo7
First Class Captain
- Joined
- Apr 1, 2019
- Runs
- 6,171
Also NTJ came out and condemned the attack so don't think they did it.
- Joined
- Oct 2, 2004
- Runs
- 217,989
At least 13 suspects were arrested on Monday in connection with Easter Sunday bombings in Sri Lanka that targeted churches and hotels, killing at least 290 people and leaving 500 others wounded, police said, as a curfew imposed yesterday was lifted.
Authorities have not made public details on those held after Sunday's attacks, but a police source told AFP the 13 were detained at two locations in and around Colombo. The source said the 13 men are from the same group.
At least two of the eight attacks were carried out by suicide bombers, according to police and other sources, and three police were killed when another suicide bomber detonated explosives during a raid on a house where suspects were.
At a glance:
Four hotels ─ Cinnamon Grand, Shangri-La, Kingsbury and Tropical Inn ─ targeted in ColomboOne church each targeted in Colombo (St Anthony's Shrine), Negombo (St Sebastian's Church) and Batticaloa (Zeon Church)290 killed36 foreigners among deadAbout 500 injuredCurfew, 'temporary' social media ban imposed
Police spokesman Ruwan Gunasekera declined to give a breakdown of those killed and wounded in each of the blasts. He added that police are investigating whether suicide bombers were involved in all of the blasts.
The government said the dead included three Indians, three Britons, two from Turkey and one Portuguese national. Two people holding both British and US passports were also among the fatalities.
"Additionally, while nine foreign nationals are reported missing, there are 25 unidentified bodies believed to be of foreigners," the foreign ministry said.
A government source said President Maithripala Sirisena, who was abroad when the attacks happened, has called a meeting of the National Security Council early today. Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe will attend the meeting, the source said.
Religiously motivated violence in SL
The scale of the bloodshed recalled the worst days of Sri Lanka's 26-year civil war, in which the Tamil Tigers, a rebel group from the ethnic Tamil minority, sought independence from the Buddhist-majority country. The Tamils are Hindu, Muslim and Christian.
According to a Dawn report, a common factor linking the church attacks was that they predominantly targeted Tamil Christians.
The St Anthony’s Catholic church in Kochchikde, located in a conclave near the Colombo port, was among the first to be bombed, when a mass in the Tamil language was going on.
The St Sebastian church in Negombo came under attack soon afterwards. Negombo is a popular tourist destination about 35km from Colombo.
Also coming under attack was the Christian Zion church in Eastern Batticaloa, a district which is populated primarily by Tamils and Muslims.
Only a small fraction of mainly Buddhist Sri Lanka is Catholic, but the religion is seen as a unifying force because it includes people from both the Tamil and majority Sinhalese ethnic groups.
Last year, there were 86 verified incidents of discrimination, threats and violence against Christians, according to the National Christian Evangelical Alliance of Sri Lanka (NCEASL), which represents more than 200 churches and other Christian organisations.
This year, the NCEASL recorded 26 such incidents, including one in which Buddhist monks allegedly attempted to disrupt a Sunday worship service, with the last one reported on March 25.
Out of Sri Lanka's total population of around 22 million, 70pc are Buddhist, 12.6pc Hindu, 9.7pc Muslim, and 7.6pc Christian, according to the country's 2012 census.
In its 2018 report on Sri Lanka's human rights, the US State Department noted that some Christian groups and churches reported they had been pressured to end worship activities after authorities classified them as "unauthorised gatherings".
Social media ban
The defence ministry said a temporary social media shutdown imposed yesterday would extend until the government concludes its investigation into the bomb blasts that rocked churches, luxury hotels and other sites.
However, NetBlocks observatory cautioned that such post-attack blackouts are often ineffective.
"What we've seen is that when social media is shut down, it creates a vacuum of information that's readily exploited by other parties," said Alp Toker, executive director of the London-based group. "It can add to the sense of fear and can cause panic."
The group said its monitoring of Sri Lankan internet connectivity found no disruptions to the fundamental infrastructure of the internet, meaning the blackout was directed at specific services. Some social media outlets, such as Twitter, appeared unaffected, but the blockage affected popular messaging services.
"That's going to be a problem for people trying to communicate with friends and family," Toker said.
Some internet users are circumventing the social media blocks by using a virtual private network, which masks the location of a computer, Toker said.
It isn't the first time Sri Lanka has blocked social media. The government imposed a weeklong ban in March 2018 because of concerns that WhatsApp and other platforms were being used to fan anti-Muslim violence in the country's central region.
An analysis by Sri Lankan researcher and author Yudhanjaya Wijeratne of thousands of Facebook posts made during last year's ban found that many Sri Lankans simply found ways around it.
Wijeratne has recommended narrower and more "technically challenging" approaches to curbing hate speech, such as better detection and strengthening local laws.
Facebook, which owns WhatsApp and Instagram, has struggled in recent years to combat the use of its platforms to incite violence and spread hate messages and political propaganda in countries including India, Myanmar and the United States.
The company said in a statement on Sunday that it has been working to support first responders and law enforcement in Sri Lanka and identify and remove content that violates company standards.
"We are aware of the government's statement regarding the temporary blocking of social media platforms," the company said. "People rely on our services to communicate with their loved ones and we are committed to maintaining our services and helping the community and the country during this tragic time."
Google didn't respond to a request for comment about the disruption to its YouTube service in Sri Lanka. Requests for comment made to messaging services Snap and Viber were not returned on Sunday.
https://www.dawn.com/news/1477684/13-arrested-over-easter-sunday-blasts-in-sri-lanka
Authorities have not made public details on those held after Sunday's attacks, but a police source told AFP the 13 were detained at two locations in and around Colombo. The source said the 13 men are from the same group.
At least two of the eight attacks were carried out by suicide bombers, according to police and other sources, and three police were killed when another suicide bomber detonated explosives during a raid on a house where suspects were.
At a glance:
Four hotels ─ Cinnamon Grand, Shangri-La, Kingsbury and Tropical Inn ─ targeted in ColomboOne church each targeted in Colombo (St Anthony's Shrine), Negombo (St Sebastian's Church) and Batticaloa (Zeon Church)290 killed36 foreigners among deadAbout 500 injuredCurfew, 'temporary' social media ban imposed
Police spokesman Ruwan Gunasekera declined to give a breakdown of those killed and wounded in each of the blasts. He added that police are investigating whether suicide bombers were involved in all of the blasts.
The government said the dead included three Indians, three Britons, two from Turkey and one Portuguese national. Two people holding both British and US passports were also among the fatalities.
"Additionally, while nine foreign nationals are reported missing, there are 25 unidentified bodies believed to be of foreigners," the foreign ministry said.
A government source said President Maithripala Sirisena, who was abroad when the attacks happened, has called a meeting of the National Security Council early today. Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe will attend the meeting, the source said.
Religiously motivated violence in SL
The scale of the bloodshed recalled the worst days of Sri Lanka's 26-year civil war, in which the Tamil Tigers, a rebel group from the ethnic Tamil minority, sought independence from the Buddhist-majority country. The Tamils are Hindu, Muslim and Christian.
According to a Dawn report, a common factor linking the church attacks was that they predominantly targeted Tamil Christians.
The St Anthony’s Catholic church in Kochchikde, located in a conclave near the Colombo port, was among the first to be bombed, when a mass in the Tamil language was going on.
The St Sebastian church in Negombo came under attack soon afterwards. Negombo is a popular tourist destination about 35km from Colombo.
Also coming under attack was the Christian Zion church in Eastern Batticaloa, a district which is populated primarily by Tamils and Muslims.
Only a small fraction of mainly Buddhist Sri Lanka is Catholic, but the religion is seen as a unifying force because it includes people from both the Tamil and majority Sinhalese ethnic groups.
Last year, there were 86 verified incidents of discrimination, threats and violence against Christians, according to the National Christian Evangelical Alliance of Sri Lanka (NCEASL), which represents more than 200 churches and other Christian organisations.
This year, the NCEASL recorded 26 such incidents, including one in which Buddhist monks allegedly attempted to disrupt a Sunday worship service, with the last one reported on March 25.
Out of Sri Lanka's total population of around 22 million, 70pc are Buddhist, 12.6pc Hindu, 9.7pc Muslim, and 7.6pc Christian, according to the country's 2012 census.
In its 2018 report on Sri Lanka's human rights, the US State Department noted that some Christian groups and churches reported they had been pressured to end worship activities after authorities classified them as "unauthorised gatherings".
Social media ban
The defence ministry said a temporary social media shutdown imposed yesterday would extend until the government concludes its investigation into the bomb blasts that rocked churches, luxury hotels and other sites.
However, NetBlocks observatory cautioned that such post-attack blackouts are often ineffective.
"What we've seen is that when social media is shut down, it creates a vacuum of information that's readily exploited by other parties," said Alp Toker, executive director of the London-based group. "It can add to the sense of fear and can cause panic."
The group said its monitoring of Sri Lankan internet connectivity found no disruptions to the fundamental infrastructure of the internet, meaning the blackout was directed at specific services. Some social media outlets, such as Twitter, appeared unaffected, but the blockage affected popular messaging services.
"That's going to be a problem for people trying to communicate with friends and family," Toker said.
Some internet users are circumventing the social media blocks by using a virtual private network, which masks the location of a computer, Toker said.
It isn't the first time Sri Lanka has blocked social media. The government imposed a weeklong ban in March 2018 because of concerns that WhatsApp and other platforms were being used to fan anti-Muslim violence in the country's central region.
An analysis by Sri Lankan researcher and author Yudhanjaya Wijeratne of thousands of Facebook posts made during last year's ban found that many Sri Lankans simply found ways around it.
Wijeratne has recommended narrower and more "technically challenging" approaches to curbing hate speech, such as better detection and strengthening local laws.
Facebook, which owns WhatsApp and Instagram, has struggled in recent years to combat the use of its platforms to incite violence and spread hate messages and political propaganda in countries including India, Myanmar and the United States.
The company said in a statement on Sunday that it has been working to support first responders and law enforcement in Sri Lanka and identify and remove content that violates company standards.
"We are aware of the government's statement regarding the temporary blocking of social media platforms," the company said. "People rely on our services to communicate with their loved ones and we are committed to maintaining our services and helping the community and the country during this tragic time."
Google didn't respond to a request for comment about the disruption to its YouTube service in Sri Lanka. Requests for comment made to messaging services Snap and Viber were not returned on Sunday.
https://www.dawn.com/news/1477684/13-arrested-over-easter-sunday-blasts-in-sri-lanka
24 people have been arrested, and the defence minister Ruwan Wijewardene said the culprits were religious extremists, but no group has yet claimed responsibility.
The prime minister, Ranil Wickremesinghe, said security services had been “aware of information” of a possible attack up to 10 days ago, and said the government “must look into why adequate precautions were not taken”.
Defence minister Wijewardene said suicide bombers were responsible for the majority of the bombings
https://www.google.co.in/amp/s/amp....d-hundreds-injured-in-church-and-hotel-blasts
The prime minister, Ranil Wickremesinghe, said security services had been “aware of information” of a possible attack up to 10 days ago, and said the government “must look into why adequate precautions were not taken”.
Defence minister Wijewardene said suicide bombers were responsible for the majority of the bombings
https://www.google.co.in/amp/s/amp....d-hundreds-injured-in-church-and-hotel-blasts
- Joined
- Oct 2, 2004
- Runs
- 217,989
The death toll in Sri Lanka has soared to 290 after a wave of blasts hit churches and luxury hotels across the country on Sunday.
Police said that 24 people have been arrested, but it is not yet known who carried out the attacks.
About 500 people are injured and dozens of foreigners are among the dead.
The country is in shock after the Easter Sunday bombings, the deadliest violence since the end of the civil war in 2009.
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-48008073
Police said that 24 people have been arrested, but it is not yet known who carried out the attacks.
About 500 people are injured and dozens of foreigners are among the dead.
The country is in shock after the Easter Sunday bombings, the deadliest violence since the end of the civil war in 2009.
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-48008073
Cpt. Rishwat
T20I Captain
- Joined
- May 8, 2010
- Runs
- 43,433
Sri Lankans who joined ISIS barely numbered above a dozen or two. Even assuming they survived the worldwide assault on the declared 'caliphate', it's a stretch to think they had enough numbers to go home and launch 8 separate bombings at a co-ordinated time and destination.
Even those members who are shedding crocodile tears on this thread were strangely absent from the NZ mosque massacre ones which shows how tragedies are being politicised. This is truly a filthy game but we need to understand where the world is headed.
Sidilicious
T20I Debutant
- Joined
- Jun 21, 2013
- Runs
- 6,207
Could it be an attack carried out by a Buddhist radical group?
An ISIS attack does not make sense, as they would have targeted all the other religions, especially the buddhist shrines. But they targeted only Christian sites and places frequented by western foreigners (Christians).
An ISIS attack does not make sense, as they would have targeted all the other religions, especially the buddhist shrines. But they targeted only Christian sites and places frequented by western foreigners (Christians).
It goes both ways bro, some people that were shedding tears in the Christchurch mosque attack are missing from this thread and even the thread about the Hazaras that were massacred in Quetta. Shameful from both sides.
The Paris attacks were carried out by 9 men. It is not unthinkable to think that 1-2 of these that joined ISIS would return and recruit some jaahil people to carry this out. Either way I am not going to speculate further until more official news about the perpetrators comes out.
Can anyone from Sri Lanka or famliar with the local regulations comment about how easy is it to procure military grade equipment, explosives, etc to carry out an attack of this magnitude?
Gabbar Singh
Test Debutant
- Joined
- Nov 11, 2007
- Runs
- 15,550
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">LATEST: Sri Lanka blames local jihadist group National Thowheed Jamath for the deadly terror attack that killed 290 people <a href="https://t.co/Yj1EkCAumD">https://t.co/Yj1EkCAumD</a> <a href="https://t.co/ycpdIIYb6M">pic.twitter.com/ycpdIIYb6M</a></p>— Bloomberg (@business) <a href="https://twitter.com/business/status/1120245542653693953?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 22, 2019</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Gabbar Singh
Test Debutant
- Joined
- Nov 11, 2007
- Runs
- 15,550
This Sri Lankan minister says otherwise.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Some intelligence officers were aware of this incidence. Therefore there was a delay in action. What my father heard was also from an intelligence officer. Serious action need to be taken as to why this warning was ignored. I was in Badulla last night <a href="https://t.co/ssJyItJF1x">pic.twitter.com/ssJyItJF1x</a></p>— Harin Fernando (@fernandoharin) <a href="https://twitter.com/fernandoharin/status/1119999431909228544?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 21, 2019</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Health Minister Rajitha Senaratne called the group “a local organization” and said the suicide bombers all appeared to be Sri Lankan Nationals.
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/04/22/world/asia/sri-lanka-bombing-explosion.html
Romali_rotti
Senior ODI Player
- Joined
- Feb 10, 2005
- Runs
- 21,901
If it is true what the hell are these local muslim Sri Lankans fighting for ??? Bunch of idiots,,, there is a reason why the Islamic world is going backwards...... I was sure it would be the Tamil Tigers, this is a new low by muslim terrorists...
Ronaldo7
First Class Captain
- Joined
- Apr 1, 2019
- Runs
- 6,171
Some foreign links are suspected. Any guesses?
Technics 1210
Test Debutant
- Joined
- Feb 27, 2019
- Runs
- 15,332
Doesn't look like ISIS is responsible because ISIS do not carry out coordinated attacks at this level. Plus ISIS would've claimed responsibility by now.
Ronaldo7
First Class Captain
- Joined
- Apr 1, 2019
- Runs
- 6,171
The fact of the matter is that no one cares that 290 people have been killed. Indians on twitter are the ones getting over excited. I saw a post where some muslims were commenting about the bombings and praising it and I saw Indians spreading that all over twitter and making it seem like all muslims think the same. The hypocrisy is that when the Christchurch shooting happened these were the same people who were making pubj type jokes and praising the terrorist.
The fact people were getting jealous just coz the NZ PM showed her respect for muslims (especially indians) was just saddening. People were even criticising her for not showing the same sympathies to the Sri Lankan victims 2 HOURS AFTER. Firstly, the attack didn't happen in NZ So the PM of NZ doesn't need to overreact. It's the SRI Lankan Pm's job.
cricketjoshila
Test Captain
- Joined
- Mar 16, 2011
- Runs
- 48,059
- Post of the Week
- 1
NTJ apparently is active in TN as well. Time to be on the alert.
Sirris
First Class Captain
- Joined
- Jun 14, 2017
- Runs
- 4,310
- Post of the Week
- 3
The Islamic scholars, leaders, Ulemas, Imams, Muftis, Maulanas and Sheikh-ul-Hadiths have failed miserably to defeat the rise in radical, extremist, ill-guided jihadist mindset taking birth within the ummah. They are too cowardly and afraid of their own lives to take a decisive and direct approach on such matters.
The Muslim community can blame the media all they want but incidents like these too lend to an increase in "Islamophobia".
Instead of just denying any links and defending defending their own innocence, I wish from the Muslim community to show the same kind of solidarity and compassion for the victims that they were shown in the aftermath of NZ attack. I wish to see them reject, disown and expose on all levels the kind of ignorant and hateful mindset that gives birth to incidents like these. Not just the most extreme form of the mindset but even at its most basic and novice level.
The Muslim community can blame the media all they want but incidents like these too lend to an increase in "Islamophobia".
Instead of just denying any links and defending defending their own innocence, I wish from the Muslim community to show the same kind of solidarity and compassion for the victims that they were shown in the aftermath of NZ attack. I wish to see them reject, disown and expose on all levels the kind of ignorant and hateful mindset that gives birth to incidents like these. Not just the most extreme form of the mindset but even at its most basic and novice level.
- Joined
- Oct 2, 2004
- Runs
- 217,989
Islamic State may be preparing to take credit for the Easter Sunday suicide bombings in Sri Lanka that have left at least 290 dead and around 500 injured, a terrorism expert has warned.
No group has officially claimed responsibility for the blasts, which ripped through three churches, four luxury hotels and a unit block in Colombo. Scores more died in attacks in Negombo and Kochchikade, north of the capital, and Batticaloa in the island nation’s east.
SITE Intelligence Group director Rita Katz says IS supporters have boasted on social media Colombo was revenge for the Christchurch mosque massacre and the US-backed military campaign in Syria.
Australian born Brenton Tarrant is facing 50 counts of murder and 39 counts of attempted murder after opening fire on two Christchurch mosques in New Zealand’s worst terror attack.
Al-Qaeda Calls Muslims to Avenge New Zealand Shootings But Avoid Targeting Places of Worship
Al-Qaeda Central (AQC) issued a statement on the shootings at two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand, calling on Muslims to take revenge but to avoid targeting places of worship, to demonstrate...
Ms Katz said IS media channels were “posting rampantly” about the explosions and praying “may Allah accept” the attackers, indicating the group may be planning to claim responsibility.
“While such a claim may frame the op as revenge for New Zealand, this was likely planned long before,” she said.
An infographic gloating about the death toll has also been disseminated on social media by IS supporters.
The death toll from the eight blasts is expected to soar past 300, with hundreds more injured, many of them critically.
Around 30 foreigners are among the dead, including five British nationals — two of whom held dual US citizenship. The others came from China, Denmark, The Netherlands, India, Portugal and Turkey.
It has not yet been established whether any Australians are among the casualties.
Authorities have arrested 13 people over the attacks, describing those in custody only as “religious extremists”.
Ms Katz said the attacks bore chilling similarities to the bombing of a Roman Catholic cathedral on the island of Jolo in the southern Philippines in January.
IS claimed responsibility for twin blasts, which killed 20 worshippers and wounded scores more.
Sri Lankan fighters have been rising in the ranks of IS, and the country would have been “easily accessible” for its supporters in the region, Ms Katz said.
Islamic State supporters are spreading this infographic glorifying the Sri Lanka attacks on social media, according to the SITE intel group. Picture: SITE/TwitterSource:Supplied
Ms Katz says the Colombo attacks mirror the Islamic State bombing of a Roman Catholic cathedral on Jolo island in the southern Philippines on January 27. Picture: Getty ImagesSource:Supplied
Sri Lankan security personnel walk past dead bodies covered with blankets at St Anthony's Shrine in Kochchikade, Colombo. Picture: Ishara S Kodikara/ AFPSource:AFP
In 2016, the Sri Lankan Justice Minister Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe warned 32 people from prominent Muslim families had slipped out of the country to fight for IS in Syria in a surge of local support for the terror group.
“They are not from ordinary families, these people are from the families which are considered as well-educated and elite,” Minister Rajapakshe said,according to Reuters.
He said the Government had also received intelligence foreigners were entering Sri Lanka to spread what he called Islamic “extremism”.
The Colombo attacks come just weeks after IS launched a massive global military campaign dubbed the “Revenge Invasion” as payback for the loss of territory in Syria.
It has emerged Sri Lanka’s police chief Pujuth Jayasundara warned suicide bombers were planning to hit “prominent churches” 10 days before yesterday’s attack.
“A foreign intelligence agency has reported that the NTJ (National Thowheeth Jama’ath) is planning to carry out suicide attacks targeting prominent churches as well as the Indian high commission in Colombo” he said.
The NTJ is a radical Muslim group that was linked to the destruction of Buddhist statues last year.
Sri Lankan soldiers survey the destruction inside St Sebastian's Church at Katuwapitiya in Negombo. Picture: STR/AFPSource:AFP
The St Sebastian's Church blast was so powerful it blew the roof off. Picture: Getty ImagesSource:Getty Images
Clashes between Sinhalese Buddhist and Muslim communities have escalated in recent months, with some hard-line Buddhist groups accusing Muslims of forcing people to convert to Islam.
But Muslims have also been targeted. In 2018, mobs of Buddhists descended on small towns in the hills of central Sri Lanka, attacking mosques and Muslim-owned shops.
Viral misinformation and calls for anti-Muslim violence, circulating largely on Facebook, were blamed for the riots and lynchings that followed.
In response, the Government cut off the population’s access to social media, a strategy it also adopted in the wake of yesterday’s terror attacks.
Economy Minister Harsha de Silva said yesterday the latest ban was temporary and access would be allowed again “once investigations have concluded”.
Only about 6 per cent of majority-Buddhist Sri Lanka is Catholic, but the religion is seen as a unifying force because it includes people from both the Tamil and majority Sinhalese ethnic groups.
Last year, there were 86 verified incidents of discrimination, threats and violence against Christians, according to the National Christian Evangelical Alliance of Sri Lanka.
The Colombo bombings are the worst violence in Sri Lanka since the country’s bloody civil war ended a decade ago.
https://www.news.com.au/world/asia/...e/news-story/5bfb619cab3bd78cb29a1df54a0e519c
No group has officially claimed responsibility for the blasts, which ripped through three churches, four luxury hotels and a unit block in Colombo. Scores more died in attacks in Negombo and Kochchikade, north of the capital, and Batticaloa in the island nation’s east.
SITE Intelligence Group director Rita Katz says IS supporters have boasted on social media Colombo was revenge for the Christchurch mosque massacre and the US-backed military campaign in Syria.
Australian born Brenton Tarrant is facing 50 counts of murder and 39 counts of attempted murder after opening fire on two Christchurch mosques in New Zealand’s worst terror attack.
Al-Qaeda Calls Muslims to Avenge New Zealand Shootings But Avoid Targeting Places of Worship
Al-Qaeda Central (AQC) issued a statement on the shootings at two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand, calling on Muslims to take revenge but to avoid targeting places of worship, to demonstrate...
Ms Katz said IS media channels were “posting rampantly” about the explosions and praying “may Allah accept” the attackers, indicating the group may be planning to claim responsibility.
“While such a claim may frame the op as revenge for New Zealand, this was likely planned long before,” she said.
An infographic gloating about the death toll has also been disseminated on social media by IS supporters.
The death toll from the eight blasts is expected to soar past 300, with hundreds more injured, many of them critically.
Around 30 foreigners are among the dead, including five British nationals — two of whom held dual US citizenship. The others came from China, Denmark, The Netherlands, India, Portugal and Turkey.
It has not yet been established whether any Australians are among the casualties.
Authorities have arrested 13 people over the attacks, describing those in custody only as “religious extremists”.
Ms Katz said the attacks bore chilling similarities to the bombing of a Roman Catholic cathedral on the island of Jolo in the southern Philippines in January.
IS claimed responsibility for twin blasts, which killed 20 worshippers and wounded scores more.
Sri Lankan fighters have been rising in the ranks of IS, and the country would have been “easily accessible” for its supporters in the region, Ms Katz said.
Islamic State supporters are spreading this infographic glorifying the Sri Lanka attacks on social media, according to the SITE intel group. Picture: SITE/TwitterSource:Supplied
Ms Katz says the Colombo attacks mirror the Islamic State bombing of a Roman Catholic cathedral on Jolo island in the southern Philippines on January 27. Picture: Getty ImagesSource:Supplied
Sri Lankan security personnel walk past dead bodies covered with blankets at St Anthony's Shrine in Kochchikade, Colombo. Picture: Ishara S Kodikara/ AFPSource:AFP
In 2016, the Sri Lankan Justice Minister Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe warned 32 people from prominent Muslim families had slipped out of the country to fight for IS in Syria in a surge of local support for the terror group.
“They are not from ordinary families, these people are from the families which are considered as well-educated and elite,” Minister Rajapakshe said,according to Reuters.
He said the Government had also received intelligence foreigners were entering Sri Lanka to spread what he called Islamic “extremism”.
The Colombo attacks come just weeks after IS launched a massive global military campaign dubbed the “Revenge Invasion” as payback for the loss of territory in Syria.
It has emerged Sri Lanka’s police chief Pujuth Jayasundara warned suicide bombers were planning to hit “prominent churches” 10 days before yesterday’s attack.
“A foreign intelligence agency has reported that the NTJ (National Thowheeth Jama’ath) is planning to carry out suicide attacks targeting prominent churches as well as the Indian high commission in Colombo” he said.
The NTJ is a radical Muslim group that was linked to the destruction of Buddhist statues last year.
Sri Lankan soldiers survey the destruction inside St Sebastian's Church at Katuwapitiya in Negombo. Picture: STR/AFPSource:AFP
The St Sebastian's Church blast was so powerful it blew the roof off. Picture: Getty ImagesSource:Getty Images
Clashes between Sinhalese Buddhist and Muslim communities have escalated in recent months, with some hard-line Buddhist groups accusing Muslims of forcing people to convert to Islam.
But Muslims have also been targeted. In 2018, mobs of Buddhists descended on small towns in the hills of central Sri Lanka, attacking mosques and Muslim-owned shops.
Viral misinformation and calls for anti-Muslim violence, circulating largely on Facebook, were blamed for the riots and lynchings that followed.
In response, the Government cut off the population’s access to social media, a strategy it also adopted in the wake of yesterday’s terror attacks.
Economy Minister Harsha de Silva said yesterday the latest ban was temporary and access would be allowed again “once investigations have concluded”.
Only about 6 per cent of majority-Buddhist Sri Lanka is Catholic, but the religion is seen as a unifying force because it includes people from both the Tamil and majority Sinhalese ethnic groups.
Last year, there were 86 verified incidents of discrimination, threats and violence against Christians, according to the National Christian Evangelical Alliance of Sri Lanka.
The Colombo bombings are the worst violence in Sri Lanka since the country’s bloody civil war ended a decade ago.
https://www.news.com.au/world/asia/...e/news-story/5bfb619cab3bd78cb29a1df54a0e519c
Last edited:
Cpt. Rishwat
T20I Captain
- Joined
- May 8, 2010
- Runs
- 43,433
ISIS themselves are thickos who invite destruction and despair in Muslim lands so it is perfectly possible that they are involved. They may not have planning or organisational skill to carry out such a coordinated attack, but I am sure you can imagine there would be plenty of 'neutral' third parties who might be more than willing to sponsor them. In third world countries it wouldn't be hard to persuade some poor individuals that martyrdom and a huge cash windfall for his family would be a good deal. In India farmers commit suicide for free.
Cpt. Rishwat
T20I Captain
- Joined
- May 8, 2010
- Runs
- 43,433
Indeed it goes both ways, just putting it out there. I am not claiming any moral high ground here, neither I am sure is the OP who may have been on holiday during the NZ massacre.
thelandofthebravepeople
First Class Captain
- Joined
- Apr 17, 2010
- Runs
- 5,595
These MC BC jihadist har giving a bad name to muslims.
Now how will you justify this? And defend this?
Now how will you justify this? And defend this?
cricketjoshila
Test Captain
- Joined
- Mar 16, 2011
- Runs
- 48,059
- Post of the Week
- 1
Why do you need to defend or justify this?
thelandofthebravepeople
First Class Captain
- Joined
- Apr 17, 2010
- Runs
- 5,595
Don't ask dumb questions.
Ronaldo7
First Class Captain
- Joined
- Apr 1, 2019
- Runs
- 6,171
They chose an easy target. Sri lanka had not been attacked for 10 years. They expected the security to be minimal.
Hitman
Senior T20I Player
- Joined
- Feb 25, 2013
- Runs
- 17,507
My biggest question is how do they do it. You give me the rest of my life to kill a bird, I won't be able to do it. These scums have the ability to take human life as if they were doing so in video games.
Zeeraq
First Class Captain
- Joined
- Sep 28, 2011
- Runs
- 5,437
Sri Lanka imposes emergency, says international network involved in attacks
COLOMBO (Reuters) - 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, in which 290 people were killed and nearly 500 wounded.
The emergency law, which gives police and the military extensive powers to detain and interrogate suspects without court orders, will go into effect at midnight on Monday, the president’s office said.
Colombo, the seaside capital of the Indian Ocean island, was jittery on Monday. Police said 87 bomb detonators were found at the city’s main bus station, while an explosive went off near a church where scores were killed on Sunday when bomb squad officials were trying to defuse it.
A night curfew will go into effect at 8 p.m., the government announced.
There was no claim of responsibility for the attack but suspicion was focusing on Islamist militants in the Buddhist-majority country.
Investigators said seven suicide bombers took part in the attacks while a government spokesman said an international network was involved.
Police had received a tip-off of a possible attack on churches by a little-known domestic Islamist group some 10 days ago, according to a document seen by Reuters.
The intelligence report, dated April 11 and seen by Reuters, said a foreign intelligence agency had warned authorities of possible attacks on churches by the leader of the group, the National Thawheed Jama’ut. It was not immediately clear what action, if any, was taken on the tip-off.
Police said 24 people had been arrested, all of whom were Sri Lankan, but they gave no more details.
International anti-terrorism experts said even if a local group had carried out the attacks, it was likely that al Qaeda or Islamic State were involved, given the level of sophistication.
Two of the suicide bombers blew themselves up at the luxury Shangri-La Hotel on Colombo’s seafront, said Ariyananda Welianga, a senior official at the government’s forensic division. The others targeted three churches and two other hotels.
A fourth hotel and a house in a suburb of the capital Colombo were also hit, but it was not immediately clear how those attacks were carried out.
“Still the investigations are going on,” Welianga said.
Most of the attacks came during Easter services and when hotel guests were sitting down for breakfast buffets.
“Guests who had come for breakfast were lying on the floor, blood all over,” an employee at Kingsbury Hotel told Reuters.
Cabinet spokesman Rajitha Senaratne said an international network was involved, but did not elaborate.
“We do not believe these attacks were carried out by a group of people who were confined to this country,” Senaratne said. “There was an international network without which these attacks could not have succeeded.”
The president, Maithripala Sirisena, said in a statement the government would seek foreign assistance to track the overseas links.
Sri Lanka was at war for decades with ethnic minority Tamil separatists, most of them Hindu, but violence had largely ended since the government victory in the civil war, 10 years ago.
Sri Lanka’s 22 million people include minority Christians, Muslims and Hindus.
FOREIGN VICTIMS
Most of the dead and wounded were Sri Lankans although government officials said 32 foreigners were killed, including British, U.S., Australian, Turkish, Indian, Chinese, Danish, Dutch and Portuguese nationals.
Denmark’s richest man Anders Holch Povlsen and his wife lost three of their four children in the attacks, a spokesman for his fashion firm said.
A British mother and son at breakfast at the Shangri-La, British media reported, while five Indian political workers were killed at the same hotel, relatives told Indian media.
The hotel said several guests and three employees were killed.
The U.S. State Department said in a travel advisory “terrorist groups” were plotting possible attacks in Sri Lanka and targets could include tourist spots, transport hubs, shopping malls, hotels, places of worship and airports.
There were fears the attacks could spark communal violence, with police reporting late on Sunday there had been a petrol bomb attack on a mosque in the northwest and arson attacks on two shops owned by Muslims in the west.
OMB FOUND NEAR AIRPORT
Traffic was uncharacteristically thin in normally bustling Colombo after an island-wide curfew was lifted earlier Monday.
Soldiers with automatic weapons stood guard outside major hotels and the World Trade Center in the business district, a Reuters witness said.
An Australian survivor, identified only as Sam, told Australia’s 3AW radio the hotel was a scene of “absolute carnage”.
He said he and a travel partner were having breakfast at the Shangri-La when two blasts went off. He said he had seen two men wearing backpacks seconds before the blasts.
“There were people screaming and dead bodies all around,” he said. “Kids crying, kids on the ground, I don’t know if they were dead or not, just crazy.”
There were similar scenes of carnage at two churches in or near Colombo, and a third church in the northeast town of Batticaloa, where worshippers had gathered. Pictures showed bodies on the ground and blood-spattered pews and statues.
Dozens were killed in a blast at the Gothic-style St Sebastian church in Katuwapitiya, north of Colombo. Police said they suspected it was a suicide attack.
Questions over why the intelligence report warning was not acted upon could feed into a feud between Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and the president.
Sirisena fired the premier last year and installed opposition strongman Mahinda Rajapaksa in his stead. Weeks later, he was forced to re-instate Wickremesinghe because of pressure from the Supreme Court but their relationship is still fraught as a presidential election nears.
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-...nal-network-involved-in-attacks-idUSKCN1RY068
COLOMBO (Reuters) - 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, in which 290 people were killed and nearly 500 wounded.
The emergency law, which gives police and the military extensive powers to detain and interrogate suspects without court orders, will go into effect at midnight on Monday, the president’s office said.
Colombo, the seaside capital of the Indian Ocean island, was jittery on Monday. Police said 87 bomb detonators were found at the city’s main bus station, while an explosive went off near a church where scores were killed on Sunday when bomb squad officials were trying to defuse it.
A night curfew will go into effect at 8 p.m., the government announced.
There was no claim of responsibility for the attack but suspicion was focusing on Islamist militants in the Buddhist-majority country.
Investigators said seven suicide bombers took part in the attacks while a government spokesman said an international network was involved.
Police had received a tip-off of a possible attack on churches by a little-known domestic Islamist group some 10 days ago, according to a document seen by Reuters.
The intelligence report, dated April 11 and seen by Reuters, said a foreign intelligence agency had warned authorities of possible attacks on churches by the leader of the group, the National Thawheed Jama’ut. It was not immediately clear what action, if any, was taken on the tip-off.
Police said 24 people had been arrested, all of whom were Sri Lankan, but they gave no more details.
International anti-terrorism experts said even if a local group had carried out the attacks, it was likely that al Qaeda or Islamic State were involved, given the level of sophistication.
Two of the suicide bombers blew themselves up at the luxury Shangri-La Hotel on Colombo’s seafront, said Ariyananda Welianga, a senior official at the government’s forensic division. The others targeted three churches and two other hotels.
A fourth hotel and a house in a suburb of the capital Colombo were also hit, but it was not immediately clear how those attacks were carried out.
“Still the investigations are going on,” Welianga said.
Most of the attacks came during Easter services and when hotel guests were sitting down for breakfast buffets.
“Guests who had come for breakfast were lying on the floor, blood all over,” an employee at Kingsbury Hotel told Reuters.
Cabinet spokesman Rajitha Senaratne said an international network was involved, but did not elaborate.
“We do not believe these attacks were carried out by a group of people who were confined to this country,” Senaratne said. “There was an international network without which these attacks could not have succeeded.”
The president, Maithripala Sirisena, said in a statement the government would seek foreign assistance to track the overseas links.
Sri Lanka was at war for decades with ethnic minority Tamil separatists, most of them Hindu, but violence had largely ended since the government victory in the civil war, 10 years ago.
Sri Lanka’s 22 million people include minority Christians, Muslims and Hindus.
FOREIGN VICTIMS
Most of the dead and wounded were Sri Lankans although government officials said 32 foreigners were killed, including British, U.S., Australian, Turkish, Indian, Chinese, Danish, Dutch and Portuguese nationals.
Denmark’s richest man Anders Holch Povlsen and his wife lost three of their four children in the attacks, a spokesman for his fashion firm said.
A British mother and son at breakfast at the Shangri-La, British media reported, while five Indian political workers were killed at the same hotel, relatives told Indian media.
The hotel said several guests and three employees were killed.
The U.S. State Department said in a travel advisory “terrorist groups” were plotting possible attacks in Sri Lanka and targets could include tourist spots, transport hubs, shopping malls, hotels, places of worship and airports.
There were fears the attacks could spark communal violence, with police reporting late on Sunday there had been a petrol bomb attack on a mosque in the northwest and arson attacks on two shops owned by Muslims in the west.
OMB FOUND NEAR AIRPORT
Traffic was uncharacteristically thin in normally bustling Colombo after an island-wide curfew was lifted earlier Monday.
Soldiers with automatic weapons stood guard outside major hotels and the World Trade Center in the business district, a Reuters witness said.
An Australian survivor, identified only as Sam, told Australia’s 3AW radio the hotel was a scene of “absolute carnage”.
He said he and a travel partner were having breakfast at the Shangri-La when two blasts went off. He said he had seen two men wearing backpacks seconds before the blasts.
“There were people screaming and dead bodies all around,” he said. “Kids crying, kids on the ground, I don’t know if they were dead or not, just crazy.”
There were similar scenes of carnage at two churches in or near Colombo, and a third church in the northeast town of Batticaloa, where worshippers had gathered. Pictures showed bodies on the ground and blood-spattered pews and statues.
Dozens were killed in a blast at the Gothic-style St Sebastian church in Katuwapitiya, north of Colombo. Police said they suspected it was a suicide attack.
Questions over why the intelligence report warning was not acted upon could feed into a feud between Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and the president.
Sirisena fired the premier last year and installed opposition strongman Mahinda Rajapaksa in his stead. Weeks later, he was forced to re-instate Wickremesinghe because of pressure from the Supreme Court but their relationship is still fraught as a presidential election nears.
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-...nal-network-involved-in-attacks-idUSKCN1RY068
This is going to create more Islamophobia around the world unfortunately and the brunt of it will be faced by moderate Muslims.
Totally brainwashed.
adil_909
Tape Ball Regular
- Joined
- Mar 12, 2016
- Runs
- 473
Anyone else hoping pakistan doesn't wind up as a link in this "foreign network"? We have enough problems
Ronaldo7
First Class Captain
- Joined
- Apr 1, 2019
- Runs
- 6,171
Lol. Don't think there's any chance that's possible. Pakistan has helped Sri Lanka too much for that to happen.
Ronaldo7
First Class Captain
- Joined
- Apr 1, 2019
- Runs
- 6,171
True. But i think 9/11 topped it all. 2900+ innocent lives were lost. Those are the no. Of causualties we see in a month or so long war not in a single day.
The victim who was present at the hotel is saying the attacker looked like a foreigner.
https://omny.fm/shows/the-age/melbourne-man-survives-sri-lankan-bombing
https://omny.fm/shows/the-age/melbourne-man-survives-sri-lankan-bombing
*** ? This group is active in India as well.
Asked my uncle who was deployed in SL during IPKF. He is an expert on this issue. Tamil Tigers targets were Military installations, military associated government infrastructures, politicians and military officers that are on vacation(easier to target high ranking officer than on battlefield). Sizable % of Tamil Tigers are christians, especially good amount of their Navy. Tamil Tigers care about their reputation, so hotels and foreigners were never the target. Christianity in Tamil areas of Sri Lanka is also followed by Hindus and vice versa. Pretty sure this is not an attack of Tamil Tigers.
Yes sir, they are active. But I never thought they would go to this level. They were generally seen less harmful than RSS and BJP in TN. They were moore of a group that talked about how to preserve their culture and religion(still backward for current day). I started hearing a little bit more as soon as RSS and BJP came to power and started spreading hatred in Coimbatore. They definitely don't have the power to do all this. Maybe associated with ISIS or Alqaueda ?
My assumption is the target was initially planned for India(NTJ more active in India) - But decided it is 30 minute flight would allow them to target more foreigners since SL has become a foreign tourist destination.
Bangladesh PM's grandson has died and Wealthiest billionaire in Bangladesh has lost 3 out of 4 his children in this attack.
Bangladesh PM's grandson has died and Wealthiest billionaire in Bangladesh has lost 3 out of 4 his children in this attack.
Last edited:
KingKhanWC
World Star
- Joined
- Jan 2, 2010
- Runs
- 50,744
Try keeping up the news. Its a fact this was a sophisticated operation and it;s also a fact previous terrorism was supported by a nation state.
Ronaldo7
First Class Captain
- Joined
- Apr 1, 2019
- Runs
- 6,171
The one thing I don't understand is that how does a group, who's never carried out a terrorist attack, can carry out an attack killing 300 people and it was well planned attack too. Is foreign intervention the answer?
KingKhanWC
World Star
- Joined
- Jan 2, 2010
- Runs
- 50,744
Not sure why you are lumping 2 billion people together because of this.
Last edited by a moderator:
cricketjoshila
Test Captain
- Joined
- Mar 16, 2011
- Runs
- 48,059
- Post of the Week
- 1
You will be dumb if you defend or justify this.
Mp812
First Class Player
- Joined
- Jun 18, 2013
- Runs
- 2,861
US and Indian intelligence agencies had warned the Sri Lankan government of imminent attacks, said Harsha de Silva, the Sri Lankan Minister of Economic Reforms and Public Distribution.
Speaking to CNN’s Christiane Amanpour on Monday, de Silva said the Sri Lankan government “did receive information from overseas that something terrible was to happen” but the prime minister "was kept in the dark.”
Speaking to CNN’s Christiane Amanpour on Monday, de Silva said the Sri Lankan government “did receive information from overseas that something terrible was to happen” but the prime minister "was kept in the dark.”
Ronaldo7
First Class Captain
- Joined
- Apr 1, 2019
- Runs
- 6,171
Looks like people are more concerned in who did it than helping the people affected by it. What a sad world we live in.
Abdullah719
T20I Captain
- Joined
- Apr 16, 2013
- Runs
- 44,825
Ex-firefighter and partner named among British victims in Sri Lanka
A retired firefighter and his partner have been named among the British victims killed in the Sri Lanka terror attacks.
Bill Harrop and Sally Bradley were on holiday in the country when a series of deadly blasts erupted at eight locations, including hotels and churches, on Easter Sunday.
The death toll so far stands at 290, with at least eight of those who died known to be British.
Dave Keelan, assistant county fire officer at Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service, paid tribute to his former colleague in a moving statement.
"This is devastating news and the thoughts of Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service are with Bill and Sally's families," he said.
"Bill served here for 30 years, retiring at the end of 2012.
"He was a much loved and respected colleague and friend. He will be greatly missed."
https://news.sky.com/story/ex-firef...d-among-british-victims-in-sri-lanka-11701207
A retired firefighter and his partner have been named among the British victims killed in the Sri Lanka terror attacks.
Bill Harrop and Sally Bradley were on holiday in the country when a series of deadly blasts erupted at eight locations, including hotels and churches, on Easter Sunday.
The death toll so far stands at 290, with at least eight of those who died known to be British.
Dave Keelan, assistant county fire officer at Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service, paid tribute to his former colleague in a moving statement.
"This is devastating news and the thoughts of Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service are with Bill and Sally's families," he said.
"Bill served here for 30 years, retiring at the end of 2012.
"He was a much loved and respected colleague and friend. He will be greatly missed."
https://news.sky.com/story/ex-firef...d-among-british-victims-in-sri-lanka-11701207
thelandofthebravepeople
First Class Captain
- Joined
- Apr 17, 2010
- Runs
- 5,595
Maybe my post was not clear.
The questions of justification and defending was pointed at those who commiting killing 300 people.
Why the f. would I defend or justify such an act?
gazza619
Test Debutant
- Joined
- Jul 30, 2012
- Runs
- 13,578
Truly sickening state of affairs. It seems like a well made plan by someone who would have gained by it.
- Joined
- Oct 2, 2004
- Runs
- 217,989
The first mass funeral has begun in Sri Lanka as the country marks a day of mourning for the victims of Sunday's bomb blasts.
The death toll of the attacks on churches and hotels has increased to 310, police said on Tuesday.
The country has observed three minutes of silence and a state of emergency is in effect to prevent further attacks.
Sri Lanka's government has blamed the blasts on local Islamist group National Thowheed Jamath (NTJ).
Police have now detained 40 suspects in connection with the attack, a spokesman said Tuesday.
The mass funeral is taking place at St Sebastian's church in Negombo, north of Colombo, which was one of the places targeted in Sunday's blasts.
Earlier, a moment of silence was observed at 08:30 (03:00GMT), reflecting the time the first of six bombs detonated.
Flags were lowered to half mast and people bowed their heads in silence in respect to the victims as well as the 500 people injured during the attacks.
What we know so farDispatch: St Anthony's, 'church of miracles'Who are the victims?The alleged bombers: National Thowheed JamathImage copyrightREUTERSImage captionThe death toll has risen to 310 victims and around 500 injured
The state of emergency gives police and the military sweeping powers to detain and interrogate suspects without court orders - powers that were last used during the nation's civil war.
The government blocked access to Facebook, WhatsApp and Instagram after the blasts.
NTJ, the group named by the government as the main suspect, has no history of large-scale attacks but came to prominence last year when it was blamed for damaging Buddhist statues.
However, neither NTJ, nor any other group, has admitted carrying out Sunday's bombings.
Warnings ignored
Since Sunday, scrutiny has fallen on the rifts in Sri Lanka's leadership, after it emerged authorities were warned about an imminent threat.
Security agencies had been watching the NTJ jihadist group, reports said, and had notified police about a possible attack.
But the prime minister, Ranil Wickremesinghe, and the cabinet were not informed, ministers said.
Image copyrightGETTY IMAGESImage captionAuthorities have declared a state of emergency
A rift between Prime Minister Wickremesinghe and President Maithripala Sirisena was why Mr Wickremesinghe has not been receiving security briefings, cabinet spokesman Rajitha Senaratne said.
It was not clear on Monday whether Mr Sirisena had been made aware of the warnings. "Our understanding is that it was correctly circulated among security and police," Shiral Lakthilaka, a senior adviser to Mr Sirisena, told the BBC.
He said that the president had appointed a special committee led by a supreme court judge to investigate what had happened.
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-48019189
The death toll of the attacks on churches and hotels has increased to 310, police said on Tuesday.
The country has observed three minutes of silence and a state of emergency is in effect to prevent further attacks.
Sri Lanka's government has blamed the blasts on local Islamist group National Thowheed Jamath (NTJ).
Police have now detained 40 suspects in connection with the attack, a spokesman said Tuesday.
The mass funeral is taking place at St Sebastian's church in Negombo, north of Colombo, which was one of the places targeted in Sunday's blasts.
Earlier, a moment of silence was observed at 08:30 (03:00GMT), reflecting the time the first of six bombs detonated.
Flags were lowered to half mast and people bowed their heads in silence in respect to the victims as well as the 500 people injured during the attacks.
What we know so farDispatch: St Anthony's, 'church of miracles'Who are the victims?The alleged bombers: National Thowheed JamathImage copyrightREUTERSImage captionThe death toll has risen to 310 victims and around 500 injured
The state of emergency gives police and the military sweeping powers to detain and interrogate suspects without court orders - powers that were last used during the nation's civil war.
The government blocked access to Facebook, WhatsApp and Instagram after the blasts.
NTJ, the group named by the government as the main suspect, has no history of large-scale attacks but came to prominence last year when it was blamed for damaging Buddhist statues.
However, neither NTJ, nor any other group, has admitted carrying out Sunday's bombings.
Warnings ignored
Since Sunday, scrutiny has fallen on the rifts in Sri Lanka's leadership, after it emerged authorities were warned about an imminent threat.
Security agencies had been watching the NTJ jihadist group, reports said, and had notified police about a possible attack.
But the prime minister, Ranil Wickremesinghe, and the cabinet were not informed, ministers said.
Image copyrightGETTY IMAGESImage captionAuthorities have declared a state of emergency
A rift between Prime Minister Wickremesinghe and President Maithripala Sirisena was why Mr Wickremesinghe has not been receiving security briefings, cabinet spokesman Rajitha Senaratne said.
It was not clear on Monday whether Mr Sirisena had been made aware of the warnings. "Our understanding is that it was correctly circulated among security and police," Shiral Lakthilaka, a senior adviser to Mr Sirisena, told the BBC.
He said that the president had appointed a special committee led by a supreme court judge to investigate what had happened.
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-48019189
Hitman
Senior T20I Player
- Joined
- Feb 25, 2013
- Runs
- 17,507
310 people dead. This one is just as horrible as the Mumbai serial blasts in 1993.
Extremely sad event. And the SL government has to feel ashamed of letting this go under their radar if they were warned by Intl. intelligence prior.
Even now, the term they are using is 'blaming' the National Thowheed Jamath whereas the group has not taken responsibility. When you look at the mass-scale of this attack and the explosives, surely this has to be more than a couple of brainwashed mercenaries 'masterminding' it. This is definitely propaganda or politically motivated.
Even now, the term they are using is 'blaming' the National Thowheed Jamath whereas the group has not taken responsibility. When you look at the mass-scale of this attack and the explosives, surely this has to be more than a couple of brainwashed mercenaries 'masterminding' it. This is definitely propaganda or politically motivated.
Hitman
Senior T20I Player
- Joined
- Feb 25, 2013
- Runs
- 17,507
Probe shows attacks 'retaliation' for Christchurch: Sri Lanka
Link: https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com...ristchurch-sri-lanka/articleshow/69005737.cms
Link: https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com...ristchurch-sri-lanka/articleshow/69005737.cms
Romali_rotti
Senior ODI Player
- Joined
- Feb 10, 2005
- Runs
- 21,901
That makes no sense to retaliate in Sri Lanka...
- Joined
- Oct 2, 2004
- Runs
- 217,989
Pathetic animals carried out this attack in Sri Lanka.
Hitman
Senior T20I Player
- Joined
- Feb 25, 2013
- Runs
- 17,507
You expect them to have any sense?
Romali_rotti
Senior ODI Player
- Joined
- Feb 10, 2005
- Runs
- 21,901
I personally feel Islamic world is going backwards, if you look around, lets be honest here there is not much contribution from the Islamic world as far as, science, economy, forward progression etc. The Arabs if they did not have their oil, they would be nothing today.. We hear of a terrorists attack in the name of Islam year after year and it is a major problem all over the globe, yeah all 2 billion muslims cannot be labelled, however they sure aren't doing enough to drive out extremism.
Look at this video I came across from London for example (and NO I am not saying all muslims are like this), however muslim community has a major problem on their hands:
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/3WgVa3VRFb4" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
Ronaldo7
First Class Captain
- Joined
- Apr 1, 2019
- Runs
- 6,171
According to Indian officials another batch of the NTJ terrorists are ready to bomb Colombo. How do they know? Just asking.
Hitman
Senior T20I Player
- Joined
- Feb 25, 2013
- Runs
- 17,507
There is something called intelligence agency in every country.
Ronaldo7
First Class Captain
- Joined
- Apr 1, 2019
- Runs
- 6,171
Isn't that obvious?
Abdullah719
T20I Captain
- Joined
- Apr 16, 2013
- Runs
- 44,825
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Well, here we go. <br><br>ISIS has just claimed the attacks in <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/SriLanka?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#SriLanka</a>. <a href="https://t.co/sPrVUSrb5X">pic.twitter.com/sPrVUSrb5X</a></p>— Amarnath Amarasingam (@AmarAmarasingam) <a href="https://twitter.com/AmarAmarasingam/status/1120637983596662784?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 23, 2019</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Ronaldo7
First Class Captain
- Joined
- Apr 1, 2019
- Runs
- 6,171
How true is this? Are they just claiming it just coz 300+ innocent lives have been lost?
Abdullah719
T20I Captain
- Joined
- Apr 16, 2013
- Runs
- 44,825
Possibly, as they have claimed attacks before as well (which they weren't responsible for). Can't really tell just yet.
CricketCartoons
Senior T20I Player
- Joined
- Mar 5, 2014
- Runs
- 17,584
ISIS have taken a leaf out of BnB.
lahoriyah1234
First Class Star
- Joined
- Nov 12, 2006
- Runs
- 3,625
My Condolences to the people who has suffered causalities and lost their love ones in this horrific attack in Srilanka.
Now lets look at the negative effects on the muslims community in Srl. We all know the christchurch attack in NZL, now the attention was diverted to Supremacist and how it planned out. Now muslims were gathering sympathy and then this happened. I don’t find any problem is saying that the attention was needed to put muslims back on the map of terrorism and world is not safe from Muslims. So its just the world we living in.
We as Muslims countries need to get together and come out with some sort of strategy on how to overcome and help people understand that ISLAM HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH TERRORISM AND THE ACTS THAT IS BEING FOLLOWED IN THE Name OF THIS RELIGION.
Now lets look at the negative effects on the muslims community in Srl. We all know the christchurch attack in NZL, now the attention was diverted to Supremacist and how it planned out. Now muslims were gathering sympathy and then this happened. I don’t find any problem is saying that the attention was needed to put muslims back on the map of terrorism and world is not safe from Muslims. So its just the world we living in.
We as Muslims countries need to get together and come out with some sort of strategy on how to overcome and help people understand that ISLAM HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH TERRORISM AND THE ACTS THAT IS BEING FOLLOWED IN THE Name OF THIS RELIGION.
m.shah
First Class Captain
- Joined
- Dec 17, 2012
- Runs
- 5,693
ISIS trying everything to malign image of Muslims. P
Bewal Express
Test Star
- Joined
- Nov 6, 2005
- Runs
- 39,978
These haraamis need to be shot like rabid dogs. What an evil act!
Hitman
Senior T20I Player
- Joined
- Feb 25, 2013
- Runs
- 17,507
How can anyone attack in another country and call it retaliation. It does not make any sense and why are they calling this Jihad.
Islam does not teach this but majority of these attacks are being carried out in the name of Islam. What are the options for peace loving Muslims.They are being lumped together with these monsters.
Muslims have to understand violence is not justified anywhere, Pulwama or SL. Killing innocent lives in the name of religion has to stop.People need to stop supporting these monsters.
Islam does not teach this but majority of these attacks are being carried out in the name of Islam. What are the options for peace loving Muslims.They are being lumped together with these monsters.
Muslims have to understand violence is not justified anywhere, Pulwama or SL. Killing innocent lives in the name of religion has to stop.People need to stop supporting these monsters.
Hitman
Senior T20I Player
- Joined
- Feb 25, 2013
- Runs
- 17,507
A nutjob white supremacist Christian in New Zealand enters a mosque and kills a number of innocent Muslims. In retaliation, the ISIS plots a terror attack and kills over 300 innocent Christians in Sri Lanka.
What supreme logic!
What supreme logic!
Ronaldo7
First Class Captain
- Joined
- Apr 1, 2019
- Runs
- 6,171
Then what exactly did your question mean?
My question was how is it that Indians are the first ones to get this intel. What are Sri Lanka doing?
Hitman
Senior T20I Player
- Joined
- Feb 25, 2013
- Runs
- 17,507
MOSSAD informed the USA before 9/11 about the possibility of such an attack. Both the CIA and MOSSAD informed India before the Mumbai attacks about the possibility of such an attack.
What exactly was your question? And I see you have quitely walked away from the other thread in the cricket section where you made a smart comment about Tendulkar, after I replied to it.
Ronaldo7
First Class Captain
- Joined
- Apr 1, 2019
- Runs
- 6,171
Lol. I didn't "walk" away. Can't I even look at both sections?
Technics 1210
Test Debutant
- Joined
- Feb 27, 2019
- Runs
- 15,332
I have not seen anything on Western media channels yet in reference to ISIS claiming responsibility, but what I do know is that terrorist groups have more than often taken responsibility in the past for an attack they were not responsible for.
If it is ISIS, then the question is on Trump who claimed ISIS have been defeated.
As I see it right now, the only beneficiary from this news is Modi.
Technics 1210
Test Debutant
- Joined
- Feb 27, 2019
- Runs
- 15,332
Yet USA and GOI did not do anything to prevent the attacks, as is the case in SL at the moment. WHY? This is the question you should be asking!
This excuse of letting intelligence agencies know before hand is getting weaker by the day.
Mp812
First Class Player
- Joined
- Jun 18, 2013
- Runs
- 2,861
Take a guess.
Hint: the word 'spies' or 'informants' or 'moles' may make your guesswork easier.
Hitman
Senior T20I Player
- Joined
- Feb 25, 2013
- Runs
- 17,507
They could not prevent those attacks. And I'd rather believe what's been revealed officially rather than some conspiracy theories.
Technics 1210
Test Debutant
- Joined
- Feb 27, 2019
- Runs
- 15,332
The later part of your statement is irreverent. I am referring to the official part, that intel knew.
Your excuse for why no action was/is taken, is tautology, to quote you - They could not prevent those attacks. WHY dare I ask?
Similar threads
