More arrests as death toll reaches 359
COLOMBO: Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena last night asked the police chief and defence secretary to quit following the Easter Sunday suicide bomb attacks on churches and luxury hotels that killed 359 people, two sources close to the president said yesterday.
The sources declined to be named due to the sensitivity of the matter amid accusations within the government of intelligence failures ahead of the attacks.
Leader of parliament Lakshman Kiriella, who is also minister of public enterprise, told parliament yesterday senior officials had deliberately withheld intelligence about possible attacks on Sri Lanka.
‘‘Some top intelligence officials hid the intelligence information purposefully. Information was there, but the top brass security officials did not take appropriate actions,’’ .
He said information on possible suicide attacks on churches, hotels and politicians was received from Indian intelligence on April 4 and a Security Council meeting was chaired by President Maithripala Sirisena on April 7, but the information was not shared more widely.
‘‘Somebody is controlling these top intelligence officials,’’ the minister said. ‘‘The Security Council is doing politics. We need to investigate into this.’’
In a live address to the nation, Sirisena said he also was kept in the dark on the intelligence about the planned attacks and
Sri Lankan police said yesterday they had detained 18 more people for questioning over the attacks, claimed by the Islamic State group.
The extremist Islamic State group made its claim after Sri Lankan officials said the suicide bombings in Sri Lanka were carried out in retaliation for attacks on two mosques in New Zealand that killed 50 people in March.
Police spokesman Ruwan Gunasekera said the death toll had risen to 359 but did not give a breakdown of casualties from the three churches and four hotels hit by the bombers.
Isis said through its AMAQ news agency the assaults in Sri Lanka were carried out by seven attackers but gave no evidence to support its claim of responsibility. If true, it would be one of the worst attacks carried out by the group outside Iraq and Syria. — Reuters/AP