Govt. was alerted to possible attacks before bombings - PM
April 22, 2019 01:10 am
Sri Lanka’s government was “aware of information regarding a possible attack” before a series of deadly bomb blasts rocked hotels and churches in the capital Colombo and two other towns, according to the country’s prime minister.
Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, speaking to local media late on Sunday, acknowledged that “information was there” about possible attacks.
“While this goes on we must also look into why adequate precautions were not taken,” he said.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attacks.
The coordinated assaults, which killed at least 207 people and wounded more than 450 others, was the worst violence in the Indian Ocean island since its civil war ended a decade ago.
A police spokesman said 13 suspects were arrested in connection to the bombings.
Wickremesinghe said “the names that have come up are local”, but that investigators will look into whether the attackers had any “overseas links”.
World leaders offered help in the probe, he added.
-Agencies
