Suicide bomb ATTACKS 

Sri Lanka cancels Sunday services

Death toll now 257; suicide bombers named

Sri Lanka's Catholic Church has cancelled plans to resume Sunday services following a "specific threat" of fresh bomb attacks against at least two places of worship, a spokesman said. The archbishop of Colombo, Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith, had wanted to resume regular mass from May 5, but the new information made them put it off indefinitely, his spokesman told AFP yesterday. "On the advice of the security forces, we have decided not to have Sunday masses in any of the churches," the spokesman said. "There is a specific threat against two locations."

Meanwhile, the Lankan authorities yesterday said the detah toll in the Easter suicide bomb attacks rose to 257.  They warned that the final number of dead from the April 21 attacks on three churches and three Colombo hotels would rise further. "The death toll stands at 257 as of now," Anil Jasinghe, government director general of health services, told AFP.

"The death toll slowly increased because there were some in-hospital deaths. There are some body parts as well so it is actually 257-plus."

Meanwhile, Sri Lanka's police Wednesday named nine people who staged Easter Sunday suicide bombings and said the attackers' assets will be confiscated in line with anti-terror laws.

Police spokesman Ruwan Gunasekera confirmed that two of the luxury hotels were bombed by two brothers from a wealthy Colombo family involved in spice exports.

The group of Islamists had used one bomber at each of the locations hit on Easter Sunday, except at Shangri-La hotel

 

where there were two suicide explosions.

One of the Shangri-La bombers was Zahran Hashim, the leader of the local jihadist group responsible for the audacious attacks that were claimed by the Islamic State group.

Hashim headed the National Thowheeth Jama’ath (NTJ) which has since been banned. He attacked the Shangri-La in the company of fellow Islamist Ilham Ahmed Mohamed Ibrahim.

Ilham’s elder brother Inshaf Ahmed was the man who bombed the nearby Cinnamon Grand hotel.

The third hotel to be targeted, the Kingsbury, was bombed by a man identified as Mohamed Azzam Mubarak Mohamed. His wife was now in police custody, Gunasekera said.

The St. Anthony’s Church was targeted by a local resident named Ahmed Muaz. His brother has been arrested. The St. Sebastian bomber was Mohamed Hasthun, a resident from the island’s east where Hashim was based.

The Christian Zion church in the eastern district of Batticaloa was hit by a local resident, Mohamed Nasser Mohamed Asad.

Another man who failed to set a bomb off at a de luxe hotel, but blasted his explosives at a guest house near the capital. He was identified as Abdul Latheef who had studied both in Britain and Australia.

Shortly after the hotel bomb attacks, Fathima Ilham, the wife of the younger of the two brothers, blasted explosives strapped to herself, killing her two children and three police officers who rushed to the family home in Colombo.

Suicide bomb ATTACKS 

Sri Lanka cancels Sunday services

Death toll now 257; suicide bombers named

Sri Lankas Catholic Church has cancelled plans to resume Sunday services following a specific threat of fresh bomb attacks against at least two places of worship, a spokesman said. The archbishop of Colombo, Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith, had wanted to resume regular mass from May 5, but the new information made them put it off indefinitely, his spokesman told AFP yesterday. On the advice of the security forces, we have decided not to have Sunday masses in any of the churches, the spokesman said. There is a specific threat against two locations. Meanwhile, the Lankan authorities yesterday said the detah toll in the Easter suicide bomb attacks rose to 257. They warned that the final number of dead from the April 21 attacks on three churches and three Colombo hotels would rise further. The death toll stands at 257 as of now, Anil Jasinghe, government director general of health services, told AFP. The death toll slowly increased because there were some in-hospital deaths. There are some body parts as well so it is actually 257-plus. Meanwhile, Sri Lankas police Wednesday named nine people who staged Easter Sunday suicide bombings and said the attackers assets will be confiscated in line with anti-terror laws. Police spokesman Ruwan Gunasekera confirmed that two of the luxury hotels were bombed by two brothers from a wealthy Colombo family involved in spice exports. The group of Islamists had used one bomber at each of the locations hit on Easter Sunday, except at Shangri-La hotel where there were two suicide explosions. One of the Shangri-La bombers was Zahran Hashim, the leader of the local jihadist group responsible for the audacious attacks that were claimed by the Islamic State group. Hashim headed the National Thowheeth Jamaath (NTJ) which has since been banned. He attacked the Shangri-La in the company of fellow Islamist Ilham Ahmed Mohamed Ibrahim. Ilhams elder brother Inshaf Ahmed was the man who bombed the nearby Cinnamon Grand hotel. The third hotel to be targeted, the Kingsbury, was bombed by a man identified as Mohamed Azzam Mubarak Mohamed. His wife was now in police custody, Gunasekera said. The St. Anthonys Church was targeted by a local resident named Ahmed Muaz. His brother has been arrested. The St. Sebastian bomber was Mohamed Hasthun, a resident from the islands east where Hashim was based. The Christian Zion church in the eastern district of Batticaloa was hit by a local resident, Mohamed Nasser Mohamed Asad. Another man who failed to set a bomb off at a de luxe hotel, but blasted his explosives at a guest house near the capital. He was identified as Abdul Latheef who had studied both in Britain and Australia. Shortly after the hotel bomb attacks, Fathima Ilham, the wife of the younger of the two brothers, blasted explosives strapped to herself, killing her two children and three police officers who rushed to the family home in Colombo.