April 21, 2019 was a terrible Sunday in Sri Lanka. A series of bombings killed at least 321 people, including some . About 500 more were wounded in the blasts. The attacks, timed for the Sunday services on the Christian holiday of Easter, seemed designed to inflict the highest number of casualties possible on Sri Lanka’s minority Christian population.
According to the most recent statements from Sri Lankaan government, on April 21 seven suicide bombers conducted near-simultaneous attacks on three churches and three luxury hotels in Colombo,Negombo and Batticaloa. One bomber each attacked the Cinnamon Grand and Kingsbury hotel and St.Antony’s shrine in Colombo; St Sebastian’s church in the city of Negombo; and Zion Church in the city of Batticaloa. Two attackers were involved in the explosions at the Shangri-La Hotel in Colombo. All seven attackers were Sri Lankan citizens linked to the local militant group National Thowfeek Jamath a Srilankan government official said.
Fear continued to grip Sri Lanka as additional bombs were discovered over the next day. An explosive device was found and defused late Easter Sunday on an access road to the international airport near Colombo and on Monday police found three bombs inside a van parked outside St.Anthony’s Shrine in Colombo. The bombs in the van detonated while police attempted to defuse them, but no injuries were reported.
Sri Lanka’s President Maithripala Sirisena has given the military sweeping war time powers to arrest and detain suspects following the Easter Sunday bombings. Sirisena’s office announced late Monday that the measure would take effect at midnight. In addition, a government curfew was to begin at 8 p.m.
On the following Monday,armed security personnel stood guard on street corners in central Colombo that were largely deserted,with most shops closed. Authorities have arrested 40 people in connection to the attacks.The Sri Lankan government admitted on monday that it failed to act on multiple warnings before the attacks. A government spokesman said some of the warnings came from foreign intelligence services.
“ISIS claimed responsibility,there is no direct evidence the group coordinated the bombings” says CNN news.
Fear has returned to Sri Lanka after this bombings. This month marks 10 years since the end of Sri Lankan long and brutal civil war.But instead of celebrating peace and seeking justice for crimes committed during that conflict,Sri Lanka faces another terrible challenge ,and is again under a state of emergency.
This is a brief on the recent terrorist attack which took place in Sri Lanka.