In surprise move, Sri Lanka extends emergency following Easter suicide attacks
AFP-Jiji A state of emergency was extended by Sri Lanka's president on Saturday, going back on pledges to relax the tough laws introduced after the Easter Sunday attacks that killed 258 people. Maithripala Sirisena said in a decree he believed there was a "public emergency" in ...
'Mother of Satan' bombs show foreign hand in Sri Lanka bombings, investigators say
One month after the Sri Lanka suicide attacks that killed more than 250 people, investigators have said the bombers used "Mother of Satan" explosives favored by the Islamic State group that are a new sign of foreign involvement. Detectives said the backpack bombs used in ...
Sri Lanka blocks social media platforms after attacks on mosques and Muslim-owned shops
Sri Lanka is temporarily blocking some social media networks and messaging apps, including Facebook and WhatsApp, it said Monday following attacks on mosques and Muslim-owned businesses in the worst unrest since Easter bombings by Islamist militants. Several dozen people threw stones at mosques and Muslim-owned ...
All directly involved in Sri Lanka attacks dead or arrested: police
Two bomb experts were among the suicide attackers who struck churches and hotels on April 21 in Sri Lanka and all those directly involved in the bombings are either dead or under arrest, police said. Acting police Chief C.D. Wickramaratne also said in a statement ...
'Save us from the Satans': Survivors of Sri Lanka church attack pray under tight security
A dozen rifle-toting soldiers guarded a small community hall as day broke in the eastern Sri Lankan town of Batticaloa on Sunday morning. Around 9 a.m. local time — roughly the same time a suicide bomber killed 29 of their fellow parishioners at the evangelical ...
Sri Lanka's Catholic Church scrapped plans to resume Sunday services following a "specific threat" against two religious locations after the deadly Easter attacks. The archbishop of Colombo, Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith, said Thursday that a "reliable foreign source" had alerted him to possible attacks this weekend. "The ...
Islamic State leader outlines 'war of attrition' path forward after 'caliphate' collapses
No longer burdened by territory and administration, Islamic State group leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi outlined the new path forward for his group: Widen your reach, connect with far-flung militant groups and exhaust your enemies with a "war of attrition." The deadly Easter attacks in Sri ...
The leader of the Islamic State group praised the Easter suicide bombings that killed more than 250 people in Sri Lanka in a video released Monday, calling on militants to be a "thorn" against their enemies in his first filmed appearance in nearly five ...
Sri Lanka raids headquarters of hard-line Islamist group suspected in Easter bombings
Sri Lankan police raided the headquarters of a hard-line Islamist group founded by the suspected ringleader behind the Easter suicide bombings of churches and hotels, a Reuters witness said, as Sunday mass was canceled due to fears of further attacks. Armed police in the town ...
How 'laid back' Sri Lanka became a soft target for Islamist strike
A week ago, Sri Lankan tourist guide Ricky Costa was preparing for a typically easy Sunday ferrying backpackers between Colombo's tea shops and beach bars in his canary-yellow rickshaw. Then the blasts began. The coordinated suicide bombings by Islamist militants at hotels and churches killed ...
Sri Lankan ex-defense chief Gotabaya Rajapaksa says he will run for president, tackle radical Islam
Sri Lanka's former wartime defense chief, Gotabaya Rajapaksa, said on Friday he would run for president in elections this year and would stop the spread of Islamist extremism by rebuilding the intelligence service and surveilling citizens. Gotabaya, as he is popularly known, is the younger ...
Sri Lankan forces raid Islamist hideout; 15 dead after three cornered bombers blow selves up
Fifteen people including six children have died during a Sri Lankan security forces operation in the aftermath of the Easter attacks, as three cornered suicide bombers blew themselves up and others were shot dead, police said Saturday. The three men set off explosives, also killing ...
