All suspects in Sri Lanka bombings arrested or dead: Police
07 May, 2019
All suspected plotters and those directly linked to Sri Lanka's Easter Sunday bombings have either been arrested or killed, acting police chief Chandana Wickramaratne said on Tuesday (May 7).
In an audio statement circulated by the defence ministry, Chandana Wickramaratne, the acting Inspector General of police, said security forces had also confiscated bomb-making material intended for future use by the militants involved in the attacks, which killed more than 250 people.
"All those who organised and carried out the suicide bomb attacks have died or (are) in our custody," he said.
"The two bomb experts of the group have been killed. We have seized the explosives they had stored for future attacks."
Sri Lankan authorities had said the bombings were believed to have been carried out by two little-known local militant groups, the National Tawheed Jamaath (NTJ) and Jamathei Millathu Ibrahim (JMI). Islamic State has claimed responsibility.
Mr Wickramaratne, who was named acting police chief last week after President Maithripala Sirisena suspended his predecessor over his failure to act on warnings about the attacks, said public life was slowly returning to normal with the lifting of curfews imposed after the bombs.
The government reopened public schools on Monday, but attendance dropped to below 10 per cent in many places, with parents still fearing attacks.
"We have strengthened security for all schools," the police chief said. "We are also conducting a programme to create awareness about safety and security in all schools."
Mr Wickramaratne did not say how many people were in custody over the bombings, but police spokesman Ruwan Gunasekera said Monday that 73 people, including nine women, were being held.
Police said religious tensions have eased in Negombo, a town north of Colombo that suffered the highest death toll in the Easter Sunday attacks. A bomb at St Sebastian's church in the town killed more than 100 worshippers.
Dozens of Muslim-owned businesses, homes and vehicles in Negombo were damaged in clashes on Sunday night. The Roman Catholic Church appealed for calm and urged Christians not to carry out attacks.
Police said two arrests were made and more suspects had been identified through CCTV footage in relation to Sunday night's incidents.
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