Interestingly, many, many news outlets are suddenly OK with mentioning that the group is Islamic, when they used to go out of their way to avoid mentioning that
Sri Lanka on edge after local Islamic militant group blamed for Easter Sunday attacks: report
Sri Lanka took drastic steps Monday to crack down on new potential terror threats by blocking social media and arresting more than a dozen after a series of suicide bombings allegedly carried out by a domestic radical Islamic group ripped through its capital on Easter Sunday.
The country’s health minister said the attacks, which killed at least 290 and injured more than 500, were carried out by seven suicide bombers from a local militant group named National Thowheed Jamath. Experts cited by The New York Times said the group promotes an Islamic terrorist ideology. Police said 13 suspects in connection with the bombings have been arrested.
“These attacks appear to be quite different and look as if they came right out of the ISIS, Al Qaeda, global militant jihadist playbook, as these are attacks fomenting religious hatred by attacking multiple churches on a high religious holiday,â€Â Anne Speckhard, the director of the International Center for the Study of Violent Extremism, told the Times.
All of the bombers were Sri Lankan citizens, but authorities suspect foreign links, Health Minister Rajitha Senaratne said at a news conference.
Six nearly simultaneous blasts took place in the morning at the shrine and the Cinnamon Grand, Shangri-La and Kingsbury hotels in Colombo, as well as at two churches outside Colombo. Two more blasts occurred a few hours later outside Colombo — one at a guesthouse, the other near an overpass.
What is known at the moment is that 290 people were murdered and over 500 wounded in the Easter Sunday attack, which saw coordinated, simultaneous, detonations at three churches and three hotels by seven suicide bombers. Twenty four people have been arrested in connection with the attack, and there were apparent warnings back on April 11th about attacks from the Islamist group. The NY Times also notes
The State Department said that terrorist groups “continue plotting possible attacks in Sri Lanka†and raised its travel advisory to warn visitors about potential threats.
It said terrorists could attack “with little or no warning,†and listed several potential targets, including tourist spots, transportation centers, markets, malls, government offices, hotels and places of worship.
The travel advisory level was raised to “exercise increased caution,†the second lowest of four levels. It had previously been at the lowest level, “exercise normal precautions.â€
In a separate article, the Times also suddenly discovers that “religious minorities”, ie, Christians and Buddhists, are increasing under attack from Islamist extremists, including those in governmental positions.
The vehicle used by attackers at Kochchikade Church exploded when security forces were trying to defuse another bomb left inside: Police Spokesman- Gold FM News#SriLankaTerrorAttack #srilanka pic.twitter.com/pwtWVUUmsz
— MalkiD (@malkid1111) April 22, 2019
Suicide bombers often leave other bombs behind so when people rush out they face a second bomb
Death toll in Sri Lanka bomb attacks rises to 290, almost 500 injured #SriLankaEasterBombings #SriLanka #EasterSunday #SriLankaTerrorAttacks pic.twitter.com/MLpXK2kVlu
— Capital TV (@CapitalTVLive) April 22, 2019
It’s horrific.
