Sri Lanka Blames Islamic Militants National Thowheed Jamath for Deadly Easter Bombings
MONSTROUS
The Sri Lankan government has blamed an Islamist militant group for the series of deadly bombings that killed at least 290 people in churches and hotels on Easter Sunday. Speaking to the press in the capital city of Colombo, Health Minister Rajitha Senaratne confirmed that local authorities received intelligence ahead of the attacks that the National Thowheed Jamath (NTJ) group was planning to target churches on Easter. “A foreign intelligence agency has reported that the NTJ is planning to carry out suicide attacks targeting prominent churches as well as the Indian high commission in Colombo,” according to a warning seen by The Daily Beast. However, the minister said the warnings weren’t specific enough to effectively act on and didn’t include hotels or tourist sites as potential targets. Senaratne said there’s no hard evidence connecting the group to the bombings, but authorities believe they are most likely responsible. The bombers are all believed to be Sri Lankan citizens. Meanwhile, Reuters reports police on Monday found 87 detonators stashed at Colombo’s main bus station.