Officials had been warned of plans for attacks
Sri Lankan military given powers to detain COLOMBO, SRI LANKA• Sri Lanka’s president gave the military sweeping police powers starting Tuesday in the wake of the Easter bombings that killed nearly 300 people, while officials disclosed that intelligence agencies had warned weeks ago of the possibility of an attack by the radical Muslim group blamed for the bloodshed.
The suicide bombings struck three churches and three luxury hotels Sunday in the island nation’s deadliest violence since a devastating civil war ended in 2009. The government shut down some social media, armed security forces patrolled the largely deserted, central streets in the capital of Colombo, and a curfew went into effect.
The military was given a wider berth to detain and arrest suspects — powers that were used during the civil war but withdrawn when it ended.
Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe said he feared the massacre could unleash instability and he vowed to “vest all necessary powers with the defence forces” to act against those responsible.
Adding to the tension, three unexploded bombs blew up Monday inside a van parked near one of the stricken churches as police were trying to defuse them, sending pedestrians fleeing in panic. No injuries were reported.
The government blocked access to Facebook, WhatsApp and Instagram after the blasts, creating confusion and doing little to reassure residents and visitors that the danger had passed.
A nationwide state of emergency was scheduled to begin at midnight Monday, the president’s office said, following the attacks that killed at least 290 people, with more than 500 wounded.
The co-ordinated blasts took place in the morning at St. Anthony’s Shrine and the Cinnamon Grand, ShangriLa and Kingsbury hotels in Colombo, as well as two churches outside Colombo. More than a hundred people died at St. Sebastian’s Catholic Church in Negombo.
The attacks collapsed ceilings and blew out windows, killing worshippers and hotel guests, and leaving behind scenes of blood, broken glass and wailing alarms.
“Even during the civil war, we never had such violent attacks, especially in places of worship,” said the Rev. Indarajid Sunasekaran, a Catholic priest who was going from home to home in Negombo, praying for the dead. “We cannot let this change us. We must all work together to eradicate terrorism. We should learn from the past.”
Three police officers were also killed while searching a suspected safe house on the outskirts of Colombo when its occupants apparently detonated explosives to prevent arrest, authorities said.
Most of the dead were Sri Lankan, but Tourism Minister John Amaratunga said 39 foreigners were killed, although the foreign ministry put out a different figure, saying the number of dead was 31.
The victims included three children of Danish billionaire Anders Holch Povlsen, who owns international clothing chain Bestseller. He is the largest private landowner in Britain and the largest single shareholder for the popular clothing brand Asos.
Four Americans were among the dead, along with other nationals from the U.K., Bangladesh, China, India, France, Japan, the Netherlands, Portugal, Saudi Arabia, Spain, Turkey and Australia. Officials with Global Affairs Canada said no Canadians were among the foreigners killed.
International intelligence agencies had warned that the little-known group, National Thowfeek Jamaath, was planning attacks, but word apparently didn’t reach the prime minister’s office until after the massacre, exposing the continuing political turmoil in the highest levels of the Sri Lankan government.
Health Minister Rajitha Senaratne said the intelligence agencies began issuing the warnings on April 4; the defence ministry wrote to the police chief with information that included the group’s name; and police wrote April 11 to the heads of security of the judiciary and diplomatic security division.
President Maithripala Sirisena, who was out of the country Sunday, had ousted Prime Minister Wickremesinghe in October and dissolved the Cabinet. The Supreme Court later reversed his actions, but the prime minister has not been allowed into meetings of the Security Council since October, which meant he and his government were in the dark about the intelligence.
It was not immediately clear what action, if any, was taken after the threats. Authorities said they knew where the group trained and had safe houses, but did not identify any of the suicide bombers, whose bodies were recovered, or the two dozen other suspects taken into custody.
EVEN DURING THE CIVIL WAR, WE NEVER HAD SUCH VIOLENT ATTACKS