Sri Lanka Easter Sunday attacks: what we know

More than 200 people have been killed in coordinated attacks on churches and hotels.

More than 200 people were killed and at least 450 others were injured in eight coordinated attacks on churches and hotels in Sri Lanka on Easter Sunday. The death toll continues to rise, with at least 207 people dead, according to police.

The attacks marks some of the worst violence the country has seen since the end of its civil war a decade ago. Police have imposed a 12 hour curfew that began at 6 p.m. local time. Officials have said flights will continue through that curfew, albeit with extra security checks.

Sri Lanka’s prime minister, Ranil Wickremesinghe, released a statement condemning the “cowardly attacks on our people” and asked “all Sri Lankans during this tragic time to remain united and strong.”

US president Donald Trump joined other international leaders in offering his condolences to Sri Lanka, saying: “The United States offers heartfelt condolences to the great people of Sri Lanka. We stand ready to help!”

Christians are a minority in Sri Lanka, with the majority of Christians in the country being Roman Catholic. As Easter is one of Christianity’s holiest days, many of Sri Lanka’s Christian population were worshipping at church when the attacks took place.

What We Know:

• Around 8:45 a.m. local time, a series of blasts rang out at three churches where Easter Mass was taking place, the New York Times says.
• One attacked church, St. Anthony’s Shrine, is in Sri Lanka’s capital of Colombo; a church 20 miles to the north, St. Sebastian’s Church in Negombo, was attacked as well; as was Zion Church in the eastern city of Batticaloa.
• Bombings occurred in at least five other locations, including three Colombo hotels: the Cinnamon Grand, the Shangri-La Hotel, and The Kingsbury Hotel.
• According to CNN, two other locations hit by bombs were: Dehiwala Zoo in Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia, and a house in Dematagoda, both Colombo suburbs.
• One witness, who was at the Shangri-La, said in a Facebook post: “The bomb blasted inside Table One Restaurant on the 3rd floor, the main restaurant of the Shangri-La Hotel, Colombo where people were apparently having their Easter breakfast. Felt the blast all the way up to the 17th floor where we were sleeping. Few minutes later, we were asked to evacuate the hotel. While running down the stairs, saw a lot of blood on the floor but we were still clueless as to what really happened.”
• Officials believe the attacks were conducted by people wearing suicide bombs. Authorities believe at least 207 people were killed and at least 450 others were wounded.
• At least 30 foreigners have been killed, according to Sri Lankan Minister of Economic Reforms and Public Distribution, Harsha de Silva. They include British, Turkish, Chinese, and Dutch nationals, as well as at least two people with dual US/UK citizenship. One US resident is currently missing. All foreigners were killed in the hotel attacks.
• Officials from countries whose residents were killed in the attacks say they have been in touch with wounded residents as well as with the families of victims. James Dauris, high commissioner of UK to Sri Lanka and Maldives said he has “been speaking this afternoon with Brits in hospital” and Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands Stef Blok tweeted, “Our thoughts are with the victims, including one Dutch national at this moment.”

• Sri Lanka’s prime minister, Ranil Wickremesinghe, is leading his government’s response; the president was abroad when the attacks happened. Wickremesinghe tweeted a statement condemning the attacks and requesting unity:

• The government state news portal, news.lk, said officials have imposed a temporary ban on social media across the country that includes messaging services like WhatsApp. The decision was made “as false news reports were spreading through social media,” according to the president’s office.
• Seven people have been arrested in connection with the bombings, the Sri Lankan defense minister told the New York Times. Their identities have not yet been made public, and no organization has taken responsibility for the attacks.
• Three police officers were killed in one of the raids searching a home in connection with the bombing, AFP reports.

• A number of leaders have condemned the killings. Pope Francis, at Easter Mass Sunday referred to the attacks as “acts of cruel violence” and said, “I entrust to the Lord all those who have tragically perished,” he said. “And I pray for the injured and all those who suffer as a result of this tragic event.”
• Other world leaders including New Zealand’s prime minister Jacinda Ardern, Prime Minister Imran Khan of Pakistan, Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and US president Donald Trump have expressed their outrage over the attacks and sent their condolences to the Sri Lankan people. Former US president Barack Obama called the bombings “an attack on humanity.”

Source:
https://www.vox.com/2019/4/21/18509739/sri-lanka-easter-sunday-attacks-what-we-know