Sri Lanka Attacks: Police Looking For 140 People With Links To Islamic State
26 April 2019, 07:12 | Updated: 26 April 2019, 07:13
The Sri Lankan president has said police investigating the Easter Sunday bombings are looking for 140 people believed to thought to have links with the Islamic State group.
Maithripala Sirisena said some of those believed to be involved in the attacks had links going back to 2013, and that top defence and police chiefs had not shared intelligence with him about the impending attacks.
Authorities say the suspected leader of those terror attacks, which killed more than 250 people, died in one of the blasts.
Nine bombers co-ordinated blasts targeting churches and hotels, killing 253 people - including eight Britons.
The Foreign Office has warned against all but essential travel to Sri Lanka following the Easter Sunday bombings.
Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt says he hopes it'll be possible to change this, once the current security operation has concluded.
The ongoing security operation has prompted the UK to advise Britons against travelling there.
An estimated 8,000 British tourists are in Sri Lanka.
The Foreign Office urged them to keep a low profile, avoid crowded public places and remain vigilant.
It is not yet known if travel companies will make special arrangements to bring travellers back to the UK earlier than planned.
Colombo Airport is continuing to operate but with increased security checks and long queues.
