Easter Sunday Terrorism In Sri Lanka Kills Local Christians And Foreigners

The result of the bomb explosion inside
St. Sebastian's Church in Negombo, north of Colombo 

Photo courtesy: Getty images via nhpr.org/

A wave of coordinated terrorist bomb attacks in Sri Lanka on April 21, Easter Sunday, killed 290 people with another 500 injured. Most of the dead were local Sri Lankans, and among the foreigners, mostly tourists, 39 were killed, with some still missing. 

Law enforcement authorities arrested 24 Sri Lankans. National Thowheed Jamath, a local Islamic group with connection with international radical Islamic terrorist organizations is believed to be behind the attacks.  

According to Sri Lanka military spokesman, six suicide bombers caused these explosions in Zion Church in Batticaloa, St. Sebastian's Church in Negombo, and St. Anthony's Shrine in Colombo. Other attacks were in the hotels: The Kingsbury Hotel, Shangri-La Hotel, Cinnamon Grand Hotel of Colombo and a hotel in Dehiwala Zoological Garden area.  Another attack was in Mahawila Gardens housing complex. 

Sri Lanka has a population of 21 million -- of whom, 70% are Theravada Buddhists, 13% Hindus, 10% Muslims, and 7% Christians. 

Pope Francis decried the attacks on innocent victims and offered his prayers and sympathy. 

It is noteworthy that the U.S. and India had warned Sri Lanka of the possible terrorist attacks on its soil in early April but the Sri Lankan government did not take the warning seriously. The U.S. embassy in Bangladesh, on April 9, warned U.S. citizens to take precaution in their movements in Bangladesh, too, for possible terrorist attacks. 

• What We Know About the Easter Terrorist Attacks in Sri Lanka (April 2019)
• Police Warned That Sri Lanka Churches Were Bombing Targets (April 21, 2019)
• Authorities warned on April 4 of potential attacks, Sri Lankan minister says -- as it happened (April 22, 2019)
• Terror attacks in Sri Lanka kill more than 200 people (April 21, 2019)
• Number of foreign casualties in yesterday's explosions rises to 30; 17 hospitalised (April 22, 2019)
• Death toll from Easter Sunday terror attacks in Sri Lanka nears 300 (April 22, 2019)
• 'Easter massacre': How the world reacted to Sri Lanka terror attacks (April 22, 2019)
• Sri Lanka bombings: eight arrests after eight explosions kill 207, injure hundreds in bloody Easter Sunday attacks (April 22, 2019)
• Explosive device disposed at Kochchikade (April 22, 2019)
• Sri Lanka Terrorism Has Hallmarks of Previous Attacks (April 21, 2019)
• The Sri Lanka terror attacks and their global implications (April 22, 2019)
• World Leaders React to Sri Lankan Explosions (April 21, 2019)
• U.S. bishops decry terrorist bombings of Sri Lanka churches, hotels (April 22, 2019)
• Sri Lanka bombings -- a timeline and visual guide (April 22, 2019)
• Sri Lanka bombings: Islamic State claims responsibility for attacks (April  23, 2019)
• Sri Lanka Bombings Live Updates: ISIS Claims Responsibility for Attacks (April 23, 2019)
• Sheikh Selim's grandson among dead in Sri Lanka [Bangladesh Awami League leader Sheikh Fazlul Karim Selim's grandson Zayan Chowdhury, aged 8 years, killed] (April 22, 2019)
• 2 Muslim brothers were Sri Lanka hotel suicide bombers: sources (April 23, 2019)