Sri Lanka says killed, arrested Easter bombers
Print Edition
Sri Lankan forces have killed or arrested most of the radical Islamists blamed for the Easter suicide bombings and the country is ready to return to normality, Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe said yesterday.
But the prime minister said the government planned tougher laws to deal with Islamist extremists and that foreign clerics teaching in Sri Lanka illegally will be expelled.
The Easter Sunday bombings that killed 253 people were carried out by a 鈥渟mall, but a well-organized group,鈥 Wickremesinghe said in a statement.
鈥淢ost of them have been arrested. Some have died,鈥 he said.
鈥淣ow we are able to return to normality. We should all now help restore the normal life of the community.鈥
Three churches and three hotels were targeted by suicide bombers in the attacks in which at least 40 foreigners were killed.
More than 100 people have been detained since the attacks. Authorities have said there are about 140 followers of the Islamic State group in the country. Wickremesinghe confirmed that a number of would-be suicide bombers had killed themselves when confronted by security forces on Friday night in the east of the country.
Fifteen people died in a clash with security forces when three suicide bombers blew themselves up at a jihadist safe house on Friday night. The Islamic State group has claimed responsibility for it in a statement.
鈥淛ihad terrorism should be ended immediately. For that, we will bring new and tougher laws,鈥 the prime minister said.
鈥淭here are several foreigners working as teachers in our country without work visas. In consultation with the Muslim religious affairs ministry and the home ministry, we will expel them from the country.鈥
Wickremesinghe did not give a number nor the nationalities of the clerics.
The prime minister also thanked the minority Muslim community for tipping off authorities about radical groups.
The government on Saturday used emergency laws to ban the extremist National Thowheeth Jama鈥檃th, accused of carrying out the Easter attacks.
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