Posing before atrocity, the IS death squad
Millionaire’s sons among eight jihadis behind Sri Lanka suicide attack outrage
POSING in front of an Islamic State flag, these are the terrorists who murdered at least 321 worshippers and tourists on Easter Sunday in Sri Lanka.
Dressed in black and clutching knives and a rifle, eight pledged allegiance to the terror group in a video which emerged on social media last night.
Speaking in Arabic, they held hands and devoted their lives to IS leader Abu Bakr al- Baghdadi before carrying out the atrocities.
The group includes wealthy brothers Ilham and Inshaf Ibrahim, who detonated suicide vests at the luxury Shangri-La and Cinnamon Grand hotels as guests were eating breakfast.
Their attacks claimed the lives of at least 41 foreigners, including eight British holidaymakers – three of whom were children.
Hours later, as police raided their £1million mansion in an exclusive neighbourhood of Colombo, Ilham’s pregnant wife Fatima blew herself up, killing her three children and three officers. The Ibragrounds, him brothers were at the centre of the little-known but highly organised Islamic State terror cell which detonated six bombs in hotels and churches across Sri Lanka.
But while the profile of suicide bombers tends to be of povertystricken men with criminal backthe brothers were the sons of millionaire spice trader Yoonus Ibrahim and were privately educated in Colombo.
The pair, who had six other brothers and three sisters, were widely considered to be moderate Muslims who did not hold extreme views.
Ilham, 36, Fatima and their children lived with his parents and other relatives.
Neighbour Zulker Nain, 28, said: ‘We have known the family for decades and have grown up with them. The parents were leaders in the community and much respected.
‘This is a very nice residential area – one of the best places to live in Sri Lanka, not just in Colombo.’
Inshaf Ibrahim, 38, lived with his wife and their four children – an eight-year-old daughter and three boys aged six, four and two – in a £1.5million six-bed mansion on one of the most exclusive streets in
‘He has brought shame on family’
Colombo. The house, which has its own gym and a fleet of high-end cars, is owned by Inshaf’s brotherin-law, Ashkhan Alawdeen, a jewellery trader.
Inshaf was a successful businessman and owned a copper factory called Colossus, employing 50.
It is now feared many of the components of the bombs which caused such crippling injuries came from his factory.
Around 100 police officers raided the factory in Wellampitiya, on the outskirts of Colombo on Sunday night. They arrested nine staff, including the manager. Last night Mr Alawdeen told the Daily Mail: ‘My brother-in-law is a psychopath. He deserves to be punished in hell. He lived under my own roof. He seemed so normal.
‘He had everything – a good business, a lovely wife and a four adorable children. Why would he do something like this?
‘I never noticed anything different about him in recent months. He never mentioned Islamic State and never had extremist views.’
Inshaf pretended he had to fly to Zambia – a major copper producer – on Friday and asked his wife and their four children to accompany
him to the airport. When he said goodbye he held his wife’s head and told her to ‘be strong’.
Mr Alawdeen said: ‘She thought it was a bit strange at the time but didn’t think anything of it because she assumed he was just going on a work trip. After that we all went to our parents’ home outside Colombo and were enjoying our weekend when this happened.
‘My sister is mentally broken. He has brought shame on our family. I don’t want to go out. I don’t want to look anyone in the eye.’
Locals at a nearby mosque said feelings against the bombers were running high in the community. ‘They have wrecked our lives here now,’ said one. ‘There are those who want to go and destroy their homes. They have nothing to do with us.’
Islamic State claimed responsibility for the attacks on its news outlet yesterday as it emerged at least one suspect travelled Syria to join the terror group before returning.
After other devices were defused over the weekend, Sri Lanka’s prime minister Ranil Wickremesinghe warned that other members of the network remain on the run.
But yesterday sources said Sri Lankan intelligence officials were tipped off about an imminent attack just two hours before the bombings. Their counterparts in India contacted them to warn of a specific attack on churches, it was claimed.
Another source said a warning was sent by the Indians on Saturday night.
Mr Wickremesinghe has admitted his security services failed to act on an advance warning dating back to April 4 that a terror attack was being planned.
Police have arrested 46 suspects, including the driver of a van allegedly used by the bombers.