04-22-2019, 10:16 AM
Sri Lanka update
--The death toll in Sri Lanka has risen to 290, with over 500 injured.
--Yesterday, Sri Lanka police spotted a suspicious vehicle and a car bomb vent off.
--The government has blamed a little-known local jihadist group, National Thowheed Jamath, for the terrorist attacks and believe the group had international backing. However, no-one has yet admitted carrying out the bombings. Police have arrested 24 people in a series of raids.
--Sri Lankan authorities were warned about a bomb threat from National Thowheed Jamath a full two weeks before the attacks, cabinet spokesman Rajitha Senaratne said at a press conference.
--Senaratne said that the warnings were not passed on to the Prime Minister, Ranil Wickremesinghe, or his cabinet. Mr Wickremesinghe acknowledged that security services had been "aware of information" but had not acted on the information. The intelligence reportedly did not pick up warnings that attacks of this magnitude were being planned.
(continued)
--The death toll in Sri Lanka has risen to 290, with over 500 injured.
--Yesterday, Sri Lanka police spotted a suspicious vehicle and a car bomb vent off.
--The government has blamed a little-known local jihadist group, National Thowheed Jamath, for the terrorist attacks and believe the group had international backing. However, no-one has yet admitted carrying out the bombings. Police have arrested 24 people in a series of raids.
--Sri Lankan authorities were warned about a bomb threat from National Thowheed Jamath a full two weeks before the attacks, cabinet spokesman Rajitha Senaratne said at a press conference.
--Senaratne said that the warnings were not passed on to the Prime Minister, Ranil Wickremesinghe, or his cabinet. Mr Wickremesinghe acknowledged that security services had been "aware of information" but had not acted on the information. The intelligence reportedly did not pick up warnings that attacks of this magnitude were being planned.
(continued)