Suicide bombers visited Kashmir, Kerala, Bengaluru: Sri Lankan Army chief
PTI, May 5, 2019, 12:32 PM IST
Colombo: Sri Lanka Army’s chief has said some of the suicide bombers who carried out the country’s worst terror attack on Easter Sunday last month had visited Kashmir and Kerala for “some sorts of training” or to “make some more links” with other foreign outfits.
It is the first time a top security official has confirmed the militants’ visit to India, which had shared intelligence inputs with Sri Lanka ahead of the attacks.
Nine suicide bombers, including a woman, carried out a series of blasts that tore through three churches and three luxury hotels on April 21, killing 253 people and injuring over 500.
Asked what activities the attackers undertook in Kashmir and Kerala, the Army chief said: “Not exactly, but definitely in some sorts of training or to make some more links towards the other organisations outside the country.”
The terror outfit Islamic State claimed responsibility for the attacks, but the government blamed the local extremist group National Thowheeth Jamaath (NTJ). Colombo has since banned the NTJ and arrested over 100 people for the blasts.
On the possible involvement of a foreign group, the Army chief said that by looking at the pattern of the operation and the places where the suspects had visited, there had to be some outside involvement of some leadership.
He said as the Chief of the Army, he believed that everybody who is responsible for intelligence-gathering and the national security is to be blamed, including the political hierarchy.
Asked why Sri Lanka was targeted, Lt. Gen. Senanayake said: “Too much of freedom, too much of peace for the last 10 years. People forget what happened for 30 years. People are enjoying peace and they neglected security”. He was referring to the three-decade civil war with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam.
“We are deployed on the ground to give confidence to the public and ensure there is no violence or escalation of communal riots in this country. Have trust on the armed forces and the police who will bring normalcy as soon as possible,” the Army Chief added.
Udayavani is now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel and stay updated with the latest news.
Top News
Related Articles More
Two persons injured in fight between Maldivians and Indians in the Maldives
International students in Canada will be allowed to work only 24 hours a week from September
RAW official was involved in assassination plot of Sikh separatist leader Pannun: Report
Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar appointed as deputy prime minister
Elon Musk in Beijing amid efforts to promote Tesla’s autonomous driving tech
MUST WATCH
Latest Additions
‘Shehzada’ dig: 3 generations of Nehru-Gandhi family sacrificed themselves for country, says Sharad Pawar
Rinku Singh a casualty of IPL’s ‘Impact Player’ rule: Report quotes BCCI source on T20 World Cup
Delhi cops question Youth Cong leader in MP’s Chhatarpur over fake video of Shah
Kumaraswamy and Shivakumar spar over sex scandal involving Hassan MP
Poor people have more children, why only Muslims are being targeted: Kharge asks PM