On Sunday, a bomb blast took place in Sri Lanka at prominent churches. Sri Lanka’s police chief made a countrywide alert prior 10 days to Sunday’s bomb outbreaks in the nation that suicide bombers deliberate to hit “prominent churches”, as per to the warning seen by AFP.
An intelligence warning was sent byPolice chief Pujuth Jayasundara to top officers on April 11 setting out the threat.
The alert stated, “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.”
In Sri Lanka, the NTJ is a radical Muslim group that came to notice previous year when it was associated to the vandalization of Buddhist statues.
A series of blasts torn through high-end hotels and churches holding Easter services in Sri Lanka on Sunday in which at least 156 people were killed, comprising 35 foreigners.
Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe condemned the attacks as “cowardly” and also said that the government was functioning to “contain the situation”.
Images of the incident have been circulating on social media and local news stations displayed wide-ranging destruction at one of three churches targeted in the nearby instantaneous blasts on Sunday morning.
Due to the explosion, much of the roof of the church was blown out, with roof tiles and shattered wood littering the floor and pools of blood in in the middle of injured worshippers.
The injured was immediately rushed into local hospitals, where officials reported hundreds of injured were being admitted for immediate treatment.
The nature of the blasts was not directly clear and there were no instant claims of responsibility. But, the documents which have been seen by AFP display that Sri Lanka’s police Chief Pujuth Jayasundara hand out an intelligence alert to top officers 10 days ago, the warning that states that suicide bombers planned to hit “prominent churches”.
The alert said, “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 first blast was reported at St Anthony’s Shrine, which is a famous Catholic church in the capital Colombo. Following which the second deadly explosion was then confirmed at St Sebastian’s, a church in the town of Negombo, which is situated in the north of the capital.
Soon after the second blast, police confirmed the third one which was held in the church which is situated in the town of Batticaloa, along with the church the three high-end hotels in the capital was also hit by the blast.
As per to the hospital sources, the citizens of British, Dutch and America were among the dead, with Britons and Japanese were among those who were wounded in the attacks.
Defense Minister Ruwan Wijewardena wrote on twitter, “I strongly condemn the cowardly attacks on our people today.
He also further added, “I call upon all Sri Lankans during this tragic time to remain united and strong. Please avoid propagating unverified reports and speculation. The government is taking immediate steps to contain this situation.”
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