The Islamic State has claimed that it was behind the horrific suicide bombings of churches and luxury hotels in Sri Lanka over the Easter weekend.

The terrorist group made the claim through its official Amaq news agency on Tuesday.

It comes after Sri Lankan intelligence named radical local cleric Moulvi Zahran Hashim as the chief mastermind of the Easter Sunday attacks. He reportedly used his social media channels in the past to incite hatred against non-Muslims.

Senior government officials had blamed the little known radical Islamist group, the National Thowheed Jamath (NTJ), which gained prominence last year after being accused of damaging Buddhist statues.

Government spokesman Rajitha Senaratne previously said that whoever carried out the attacks must have been helped by an international network.

"We do not believe these attacks were carried out by a group of people who were confined to this country," he said.

"There was an international network without which these attacks could not have succeeded."

The devastating attacks were carried out on two Catholic churches and one evangelical church that were packed with worshippers celebrating Easter Sunday.

Four luxury hotels were also targeted in the attacks that claimed the lives of 321 people, including eight British citizens.

Defence minister Ruwan Wijewardene told lawmakers in parliament on Tuesday that he believed the bombings were in retaliation for the recent attack on two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand. Fifty people were killed when a gunman opened fire in the mosques on March 15.

"The preliminary investigations have revealed that what happened in Sri Lanka was in retaliation for the attack against Muslims in Christchurch, but we are continuing investigations," Wijewardene said. </s> Sri Lanka’s Easter Sunday bomb attacks were retaliation for a recent attack on mosques in New Zealand, a Sri Lankan official said on Tuesday, adding that two domestic Islamist groups were believed to be responsible.

 

 “The initial investigation has revealed that this was in retaliation for the New Zealand mosque attack,” junior minister for defence Ruwan Wijewardene told parliament.

 

 “It was done by National Thawheed Jama’ut along with JMI,” he said, referring to another local group, Jammiyathul Millathu Ibrahim.

Fifty people were killed in shooting attacks on two mosques in the New Zealand city of Christchurch on March 15. </s> The Bishops’ Conference of Sri Lanka has called for an “independent and impartial” investigation into the bombings of three churches and three hotels on Easter Sunday. The leaders claim that this investigation must bring about justice for the victims by holding those responsible before the law.

On April 21, Easter Sunday, suicide bombers reportedly supported by ISIS attacked three churches and three luxury hotels in Sri Lanka. As a result, 263 people were kill and another 600 were wounded. Among the dead and wounded were many Sri Lankan Christians who were attacked while celebrating Easter in their churches.

In an open letter, the Bishops’ Conference of Sri Lanka said, “Although various efforts of recovery by the government are appreciable, we wish to repeat that what is most important is to do justice by bringing those responsible before the law rapidly.” Read more </s> The Latest: New Zealand says it has not seen Sri Lanka link

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) — The Latest on the Easter attacks in Sri Lanka (all times local):

New Zealand's Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern says she hasn't received any official advice from Sri Lanka or seen any intelligence reports to corroborate claims from Sri Lanka's government that the Easter attacks were in retaliation for the mosque massacres in Christchurch last month.

Ardern told reporters in Auckland that Sri Lanka is in the early stages of its investigation, and that New Zealand plans to stand back and allow it to proceed. She said she hadn't been in direct contact with Sri Lanka, although officials from the two countries were in contact.

Sri Lanka's State Minister of Defense Ruwan Wijewardene said earlier the government had evidence the bombings were carried out by an Islamic fundamentalist group in retaliation for the March 15 mosque shootings in Christchurch that killed 50 people.

The U.S. Embassy in Sri Lanka says the FBI is on the ground in the country to help assist its investigation into the Easter suicide bombings that killed 359 people.

The embassy said it was part of the support extended by President Trump.

The embassy in Colombo declined to immediately elaborate.

Police say the death toll in the Easter attacks in Sri Lanka has risen to 359 and more suspects have been arrested.

Police spokesman Ruwan Gunasekara also said Wednesday morning that 18 suspects were arrested overnight, raising the total detained to 58.

The prime minister warned on Tuesday that several suspects armed with explosives were still at large.

Another top government official said the suicide bombings at the churches, hotels and other sites were carried out by Islamic fundamentalists in apparent retaliation for the New Zealand mosque massacre last month.

The Islamic State group has claimed responsibility for the Sri Lanka attacks and released images that purported to show the attackers. Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe said that investigators were still determining the extent of the bombers' foreign links. </s> Washington, April 22 (IANS) US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Monday blamed “a horrific wave of Islamic radical terror” for the deadly bombings in Sri Lanka on Easter Sunday that killed 290 people and injured over 500.

“What was supposed to be a joyful Easter Sunday was marred by a horrific wave of Islamic radical terror and bloodshed. Sadly, this evil exists in the world. This is America’s fight, too,” Pompeo said at a news conference at the State Department.

The Sri Lankan government said that the National Thowheed Jamath (NTJ), a Muslim group in the country, carried out the attacks. But officials also believe that the attackers were aided by international terrorists.

Pompeo said that he spoke to Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe on Monday morning and that the US was offering “all possible assistance” to the Sri Lankan government and American citizens impacted by the terror attacks.

“We urge that any evildoers be brought to justice expeditiously and America is prepared to support that,” Pompeo added. “We stand committed, resolved, to confront terrorism together.”

In a statement issued on Sunday following the attacks, Pompeo had said “several” Americans were killed, but did not provid a specific number. </s> Sri Lankan state minister says the Easter church bombings were retaliation for New Zealand mosque attacks

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) — Sri Lankan state minister says the Easter church bombings were retaliation for New Zealand mosque attacks. </s> A Sri Lankan government official says coordinated suicide bombings in the island nation on Easter Sunday, which killed more than 320 people, were carried out in retaliation for last month's mass shooting at mosques in New Zealand.

State minister for defense, Ruwan Wijewardene, said the attacks were carried out by two Islamist organizations. As NPR's Lauren Frayer reports, "it's not immediately clear how he knows that – whether the information comes from suspects being interrogated, or evidence the suicide bombers may have left behind."

One of the organizations is a little-known radical Islamist group named National Thowfeek Jamaath. Health Minister Rajitha Senaratne has called for the top police official to resign after failing to stop the attacks despite receiving reports that the group was planning to target churches, The Washington Post reports.

In the weeks leading up to the attacks, parts of the Sri Lankan government received intelligence reports from international agencies, including India, indicating a possible plot to attack targets in Sri Lanka.

"What the allegation is, is that portions of the government — the security services, the police — did not do enough in advance to alert the Christian community, to alert hotels that they could be targets," Shashank Bengali, Southeast Asia correspondent for the Los Angeles Times, told NPR's Up First. "That's where the war of words and the finger pointing has got us right now."

Police in Sri Lanka say they have arrested 40 suspects since the wave of deadly suicide attacks Sunday killed hundreds and wounded hundreds more.

According to The Associated Press, among the suspects arrested were the driver of a van allegedly used by suicide bombers, and the owner of a house where some of the attackers lived. Most of the people arrested are Sri Lankans, but police are also investigating whether foreigners were involved in the attacks. </s> COLOMBO, Sri Lanka -- A van exploded on Monday near a Sri Lankan church that was affected by Sunday's bombings. No injuries were reported in the new explosion.Nearly 300 peole were killed and hundreds more injured in the coordinated Easter Sunday bombings that ripped through Sri Lankan churches and luxury hotels, ABC News reports The Sunday attack was carried out by seven suicide bombers from a domestic militant group named National Thowfeek Jamaath, a government official said Monday.All of the bombers were Sri Lankan citizens, but authorities suspect foreign links, Health Minister Rajitha Senaratne said at a news conference.Earlier, Ariyananda Welianga, a government forensic crime investigator, said an analysis of the attackers' body parts made clear that they were suicide bombers. He said most of the attacks were carried out by a single bomber, with two at Colombo's Shangri-La Hotel.The bombings, Sri Lanka's deadliest violence since a devastating civil war ended a decade ago on the island nation off the southeast tip of India, killed at least 290 people with more than 500 wounded, Police spokesman Ruwan Gunasekara said Monday.Meanwhile, Sri Lankan police investigating the bombings are examining reports that intelligence agencies had warnings of possible attacks, officials said Monday.Two government ministers have alluded to intelligence failures. Telecommunications Minister Harin Fernando tweeted, "Some intelligence officers were aware of this incidence. Therefore there was a delay in action. Serious action needs to be taken as to why this warning was ignored." He said his father had heard of the possibility of an attack as well and had warned him not to enter popular churches.And Mano Ganeshan, the minister for national integration, said his ministry's security officers had been warned by their division about the possibility that two suicide bombers would target politicians.The police's Criminal Investigation Department, which is handling the investigation into the blasts, will look into those reports, Gunasekara said.Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith, the archbishop of Colombo, said the attacks could have been thwarted."We placed our hands on our heads when we came to know that these deaths could have been avoided. Why this was not prevented?" he said.Earlier, Defense Minister Ruwan Wijewardena described the blasts as a terrorist attack by religious extremists, and police said 13 suspects had been arrested, though there was no immediate claim of responsibility. Wijewardena said most of the bombings were believed to have been suicide attacks.But officials have yet to say who they believe is behind the attacks. The Tamil Tigers, once a powerful rebel army known for its use of suicide bombers, was crushed by the government in 2009, and had little history of targeting Christians. While anti-Muslim bigotry has swept the island in recent years, fed by Buddhist nationalists, the island also has no history of violent Muslim militants. The country's small Christian community has seen only scattered incidents of harassment in recent years.The explosions - mostly in or around Colombo, the capital - collapsed ceilings and blew out windows, killing worshippers and hotel guests in one scene after another of smoke, soot, blood, broken glass, screams and wailing alarms.A morgue worker in the town of Negombo, outside Colombo, where St. Sebastian's Church was targeted, said many bodies were hard to identify because of the extent of the injuries. He spoke on condition of anonymity.Lakmal, a 41-year-old businessman in Negombo who declined to provide his last name, went with his family to St. Sebastian's for Easter Mass. He said they all escaped the blast unscathed, but he remains haunted by images of bodies being taken from the sanctuary and tossed into a truck.At the Shangri-La Hotel, a witness said "people were being dragged out" after the blast."There was blood everywhere," said Bhanuka Harischandra a 24-year-old from Colombo and founder of a tech marketing company. He was heading to the hotel for a meeting when it was bombed. "People didn't know what was going on. It was panic mode."Most of those killed were Sri Lankans. But the three bombed hotels and one of the churches, St. Anthony's Shrine, are frequented by foreign tourists, and Sri Lanka's Foreign Ministry said the bodies of at least 27 foreigners from a variety of countries were recovered.The U.S. said "several" Americans were among the dead, while Britain, India, China, Japan and Portugal said they, too, lost citizens.The streets were largely deserted Monday morning, with most shops closed and a heavy deployment of soldiers and police. Stunned clergy and onlookers gathered at St. Anthony's Shrine, looking past the soldiers to the stricken church.The Sri Lankan government initially lifted a curfew that had been imposed during the night but reinstated it Monday afternoon. Most social media remained blocked Monday after officials said they needed to curtail the spread of false information and ease tension in the country of about 21 million people.Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe said he feared the massacre could trigger instability in Sri Lanka, and he vowed to "vest all necessary powers with the defense forces" to take action against those responsible.The scale of the bloodshed recalled the worst days of Sri Lanka's 26-year civil war, when the Tamil Tigers, from the ethnic Tamil minority, sought independence from the Sinhalese-dominated country. The Sinhalese are largely Buddhist. The Tamils are Hindu, Muslim and Christian.Sri Lanka, off the southern tip of India, is about 70 percent Buddhist. In recent years, tensions have been running high between hard-line Buddhist monks and Muslims.Two Muslim groups in Sri Lanka condemned the church attacks, as did countries around the world, and Pope Francis expressed condolences at the end of his traditional Easter Sunday blessing in Rome.Six nearly simultaneous blasts took place in the morning at the shrine and the Cinnamon Grand, Shangri-La and Kingsbury hotels in Colombo, as well as at two churches outside Colombo.A few hours later, two more blasts occurred just outside Colombo, one at a guesthouse where two people were killed, the other near an overpass, Atapattu said.Also, three police officers were killed during a search at a suspected safe house on the outskirts of Colombo when its occupants apparently detonated explosives to prevent arrest, authorities said.Authorities said a large bomb had been found and defused late Sunday on an access road to the international airport.Air Force Group Captain Gihan Seneviratne said Monday that authorities found a pipe bomb filled with 50 kilograms (110 pounds) of explosives. It was large enough to have caused damage to a 400-meter (400-yard) radius, he said.Harischandra, who witnessed the attack at the Shangri-La Hotel, said there was "a lot of tension" after the bombings, but added: "We've been through these kinds of situations before."He said Sri Lankans are "an amazing bunch" and noted that his social media feed was flooded with photos of people standing in long lines to give blood. </s> The coordinated church bombings in Sri Lanka that killed more than 320 people on Easter were in retaliation for last month's mass shootings at mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand, a Sri Lankan government official told Parliament Tuesday.

State minister for defense, Ruwan Wijewardene, said the attacks were carried out by two Islamist organizations. As NPR's Lauren Frayer reports, "it's not immediately clear how he knows that – whether the information comes from suspects being interrogated, or evidence the suicide bombers may have left behind."

One of the organizations is a little-known radical Islamist group named National Thowfeek Jamaath. Health Minister Rajitha Senaratne has called for the top police official to resign after failing to stop the attacks despite receiving reports that the group was planning to target churches, The Washington Post reports.

In the weeks leading up to the attacks, parts of the Sri Lankan government received intelligence reports from international agencies, including India, indicating a possible plot to attack targets in Sri Lanka.

"What the allegation is, is that portions of the government — the security services, the police — did not do enough in advance to alert the Christian community, to alert hotels that they could be targets," Shashank Bengali, Southeast Asia correspondent for the Los Angeles Times, told NPR's Up First. "That's where the war of words and the finger pointing has got us right now."

Police in Sri Lanka have arrested 40 suspects since the wave of deadly suicide attacks Sunday killed hundreds and wounded hundreds more.

According to The Associated Press, among the suspects arrested were the driver of a van allegedly used by suicide bombers, and the owner of a house where some of the attackers lived. Most of the people arrested are Sri Lankans, but police are also investigating whether foreigners were involved in the attacks.
ISIL claims responsibility for the bombings in Sri Lanka that took place on Easter Sunday.