Sri Lanka Consulatela

News Updates Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka: the Islamic State group claims the attacks

On CCTV footage, we can see the path of one of the suspected suicide bombers of the Sunday attacks in Sri Lanka. A man with a backpack enters Saint Sebastian’s Church in Negombo, north of the capital Colombo, during Easter Mass, and blows himself up.

According to the preliminary elements of the investigation, these attacks were committed in retaliation for the carnage of the mosques of Christchurch in New Zealand. They are attributed to a local radical Islamist group, the NTJ, and claimed by the Islamic State group. Sri Lanka is receiving international assistance in the investigation and is investigating whether the NTJ has received international logistical support.

A source close to the investigation claims that two Sri Lankan Muslim brothers, aged 20 and 30, are among the suicide bombers and played a key role in the attacks.

The toll of attacks carried out jointly in three luxury hotels and three churches is heavy: at least 320 people, including at least 45 children and adolescents and an 18-month-old baby, have lost their lives.