Death toll now 359 and over 500 injured
Admin l Wednesday, April 24, 2019
COLOMBO, Sri Lanka – Authorities in Sri Lanka has disagreed with the claim of Islamic State of Iraq and Syria(ISIS) that it carried out Easter Sunday attacks in Sri Lanka, which targeted three churches and three international hotels.
So far, 359 people have been confirmed dead while over 500 people were injured in the attacks. Speaking on the development, Deputy Defence Minister, Ruwan Wijewardene insisted that the attacks were carried out by the local hardline Muslim group, National Tawheeth Jamaa’th but that ISIS may have financially or ideologically funded the group.
He described members of the group to have studied in various countries, well educated and financially independent. Wijewardene told reporters that they have identified eight out of the 9 attackers but that they are still at large.
Meanwhile, President of Sri Lanka, Pallewatte Gamaralalage Maithripala Yapa Sirisena has promised to effect “major changes in the leadership of the security forces in the next 24 hours”.
He also promised to restructure the security forces in the “coming weeks”, for failing to inform him of prior information concerning possible attacks. “The security officials who got the intelligence report from a foreign nation did not share it with me,” Sirisena said.
He gave the threats following address by Health Minister, Rajitha Senaratne that blamed the attacks on failure of President Maithripala Sirisena’s government to act on intelligence shared 14 days before the multiple blasts that targeted churches and luxury hotels across the nation.
“Unfortunately, despite all these revelations by the intelligence units we could not avert these attacks,” Senaratne, who is also the cabinet spokesman, said at a press conference.
