Sri Lanka authorities at sea as Easter terror toll climbs past 290 amid fears of more attacks
All seven attacks on the Christian churches and hotels of Sri Lanka were perpetrated by suicide bombers. The horrendous death toll had risen by Monday morning, April 22 to 290, including more than 30 foreigners and at least 500 injured. The security police have reported 24 arrests and the discovery of a van used in the massacre, but are unable to name the entity behind the bombings. The government in Colombo has been thrown out of kilter for some time by infighting among factions, which is why the US intelligence warning a week ago to prepare for a wave of suicide attacks was not passed on to the ministers concerned; no preventive arrests were made and the authorities responsible for security at the tourist sites, Sri Lanka’s main source of revenue, were not forewarned.
Sunday night, before the dreadful effect of the multiple bombings was assessed, US and British intelligence sources again warned the Sri Lankans that it was not over. The unnamed terrorists were preparing a second wave of deadly violence to again tourist sites as well as transport hubs and shopping malls. Still no source was ready to name the hand orchestrating the attacks, whether Islamic State or Al Qaeda, although expert assessments are leaning more towards Al Qaeda.
At a press conference on Monday, a government spokesperson tried to offset some of the unclarity by claiming that not all the terrorists were Sri Lankans and speaking of “an international network without which the attack would not have been possible.” He admitted that the tip-off for the coming outrage was received on April 4 and referred only five days later in a written message to the national intelligence commander, with many names of the responsible terrorist organization’s members. The prime minister was not updated.
An indication of the fine-tuned planning that went into the massacre was to be found at one of its main targets, the Cinammon Grand Hotel in Colombo. A day earlier, the suicide killer registered under an assumed name. On Sunday morning, he went down to join the other guests for breakfast. At the moment that one of the chefs dished food on his plate, he detonated the bomb on his body.
The terror offensive was clearly engineered with cool precision for the purpose of wrecking the island-state’s tourist industry. Without the 2 million foreign visitors coming each year, its economy would go into crisis. An additional object appears to have been to further stir up the frictions existing among the island’s communities, dominated by Buddhists, Hindus, Muslims and Christians.
Although Sri Lanka has made itself into a getaway paradise for tourists since its disastrous civil war between the Sinhalese majority and the minority Tamils ended a decade ago, underlying factional discord occasionally burst out into bloody violence.
At present,terrorists no longer resort to prior threats.Perhaps hotels and churches must be equipped with metals detectors.
May the civilized world unit and together pursue the goal of exposing those responsible for committing acts of terrorism against innocent people where ever it occurs and bringing to justice all those responsible for these vicious acts.
‘Sinhalese majority and the minority Tamils’
and I’m a ‘British white’
Got it. Check.
Christians and many others are slowly learning why Israel must protect its small area of land from terrorists.
Many churches (and some synagogues) side with the “Terrorstinians.” These churches think that defending ones country from those who want to destroy your people and destroy your religion is somehow wrong.
This cowardly and horrific attack on the Christian communities around the world should remind everyone why Israel must be strong and determined to keep the same barbarians from targeting and killing their people and “religion.”
It boils down to being strong and vigilant or being killed – I choose the former over the latter. Leftists choose the opposite… but they might change their minds were these types of attacks directly impacting their lives. They have a hard time empathizing with victims as they now side with terrorists.
Exactly …
follow the chinese model with the ouighours,or the north korea security model,when handling with the adepts of the religion of peace
I’m waiting for the prime minister of new zealand to make a statement and put her hijab again and broadcast muslim prayers throughout the country..”we are one, we are together”…perhaps she could offer advice to Sri Lanka to be more tolerant? …islam and leftists destroying our lives one day at a time.
Oh, whats a problem? Some people did something again..
WRETCHED MUDSLIMES!
After the grieving and sympathy, we better accept and respond to these ongoing “wake up calls”. Look back to the biblical and other records of the destruction of the first and second jerusalem temples, and why it happened, and we will know what we need to do. Justice, kindness, and a walk of humility with our maker yhwh will supplement the vigilance that comes from seeing the writing on the wall.
I remember remarking to someone after the Bali bombing many years ago that Europeans or westerners should stay clear of from these sun kissed tropical paradises .
The problem is that atacks are as likely in the western homelands these days as any where else..
The pigs of allah killed again Christians, now the Christians should start the war against the satanic mosques
You summarized it pretty well Salman, but true Christians don’t kill people until Armageddon eventuates.