On Easter Sunday, Sri Lanka saw coordinated terror attacks that took the lives of over 250 people and injured more than 500. Several people have been detained in the country and among them are a school teacher and a principal. Police are now probing links
Colombo: The Sri Lankan police have arrested 106 suspects, including a teacher at a Tamil medium school, and a principal, in connection with the Easter Sunday blasts.
This comes after a week since the island country saw coordinated blasts in churches and hotels that killed 253 people and injured over 500.
Of the 106 people arrested, a 40-year-old Tamil medium school teacher was found in possession of 50 SIM cards and other incriminating items, the Sri Lankan media reported. The teacher was held following a joint operation conducted by the Kalpitiya Police and the Sri Lankan Navy.
Also read: Sri Lanka bans all face coverings including burqa after Easter Sunday blasts
Two suspects were arrested in Dangedara area in Galle during a search conducted on information received of a school managed by the National Thowheeth Jamaath (NTJ).Another suspect includes the principal of the school, and another is a doctor who has served as an instructor. The Galle police are conducting further investigations.
The police and security forces continued their search for members of NTJ, the local terror outfit, they believe was behind the attack. Reports stated that the criminal investigations department (CID) is carrying out the interrogation of the 106 suspects.
In a special joint operation conducted by the Sri Lanka Army and the police in Vavuniya town, 10 suspects were arrested.
Also read: Sri Lanka blasts: NIA detains 2 after raids in Kerala
On a tip-off, main roads were blocked and search operations were carried out for nearly three hours. Security has also been stepped-up in the area. Sri Lanka on Saturday banned the NTJ and a splinter group linked to the ISIS.
On Friday, six children and three women were among 15 people killed when terrorists linked to the Easter Sunday bombings opened fire and blew themselves up during a fierce gun battle with security forces in eastern province.A huge cache of explosives was also recovered from the spot.
The ISIS terror group, in a statement published early on Sunday through its propaganda "Amaq" news agency, claimed that the three who blew themselves up during the gun battle were its members.
Although the ISIS claimed responsibility for the attacks, the government has blamed local Islamist extremist, believed to be splinter group of the NTJ for the attacks. At the security council meeting on Friday, it was decided that search operations to crackdown on extremist terrorism must continue until the threat is completely eliminated.
Nine suicide bombers carried out a series of devastating blasts that tore through three churches and three luxury hotels on the Easter Sunday, killing 253 people. President Maithripala Sirisena said on Friday that over 130 suspects linked to the terror group have been operating in the country.
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