IS claims responsibility for bomb attacks in Sri Lanka

The claim, issued through the group’s AMAQ news agency, was made after Sri Lanka said two domestic militant groups with suspected links to foreign militants were suspected to have been behind the attacks at three churches and four hotels. About 500 people were also wounded in the bombings. Three sources told Reuters that Sri Lankan intelligence officials had been warned hours earlier by India that attacks by militants were imminent. It was not clear what action, if any, was taken.

Sri Lankan president to change heads of defence forces

President Maithripala Sirisena said he would change the heads of the defence forces following their failure to act on the intelligence. “I will completely restructure the police and security forces in the coming weeks. I expect to change the heads of defence establishments within the next 24 hours,” Sirisena said in an address to the nation. “The security officials who got the intelligence report from a foreign nation did not share it with me. I have decided to take stern action against these officials.” Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe told a news conference investigators were making progress in identifying the perpetrators. “We will be following up on IS claims, we believe there may be some links,” he said. The government has said at least seven suicide bombers were involved. In a statement, IS named what it said were the seven attackers who carried out the attacks. It gave no further evidence to support its claim of responsibility. The hardline militant group, who have lost the territory they once held in Syria and Iraq to Western-backed forces, later released a video on Amaq showing eight assailants, seven of whom were masked, pledging allegiance to Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. Reuters could not independently verify the claim and authorities did not officially identify the assailants. Earlier, junior minister for defence Ruwan Wijewardene told parliament two Sri Lankan militant groups were responsible for the blasts, which detonated during Easter services and as hotels served breakfast. The first six bombs - on three churches and three luxury hotels - exploded within 20 minutes of each other. Two more explosions - at a downmarket hotel and a house in a suburb of the capital, Colombo - took place in the early afternoon. Wickremesinghe said the militants had tried to attack another hotel but had failed. Sri Lankan government and military sources said a Syrian had been detained among 40 people being questioned over the bombs.