Can’t say the threat is over - Rajitha

Authorities had information about a small group of radicals who may be trying to stage more strikes, said government spokesman and Minister Rajitha Senaratne, who added that the crackdown on extremists after the Easter bombings had been largely successful.

“You can’t say the threat is over, but the situation is well under control... better than what we expected.”

But the government was also still on the hunt for “four terrorists” involved in the Easter attacks who were still at large, Senaratne told AFP in an interview on Thursday evening.

Sri Lankan authorities have admitted that there was a failure to act on advance intelligence warnings of the deadly Easter Sunday attacks against churches and luxury hotels.

Senaratne said the country’s minority Muslim community had helped authorities root out extremists in the weeks since.

“Everyone is giving information. They come forward to give a lot of information,” he said.

Sri Lanka was also receiving international help, with foreign intelligence services working alongside their local counterparts, Senaratne added.

“We have already received foreign assistance from the US, UK and from India. There are other countries also which have offered intelligence services,” he said.

Source: AFP

-Agencies