LIVE: Easter Sunday Attacks! Northward 207 people have been killed, including 35 foreigners, citing police sources.
A series of explosions have rocked churches and high-end hotels in Sri Lanka on Sunday morning. It’s clear that the attack was on Christian Churches including St Sebastian’s in Katuwapitiya, an evangelical church in Batticaloa, and at St Anthony’s Shrine in central Colombo.
This is The Unshackled’s LIVE COVERAGE of the event. Thank you for your patience as we wait for the facts and give you some of the best content on the Internet.
The locations hit by the terrorist explosions are as follows:
- St Anthony’s Shrine, Kochchikade
- St Sebastian’s Church, Negombo
- Zion Church, Batticaloa
- Cinnamon Grand, Colombo
- Shangri-La Hotel, Colombo
- The Kingsbury Hotel, Colombo
- Near Dehiwala Zoo in Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia
- A house in Mahawila Gardens, Dematagoda
As Far As We Know:
At least 290 are confirmed murdered and at least 450 are injured from the eight separate coordinated terror attacks against Christians. Among the dead are thirty-five foreigners, three police offices.
Update: Twenty-four people have been reported to have been arrested so far.
We are singing off for the night. Thank you for everyone that stayed to watch the coverage. IF there are more updates we will continue in the morning.
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Three police officers were killed while conducting a search operation at a suspected militant hideout in Dematagoda, on the outskirts of Colombo, where the last of eight blasts took place, according to AP.
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Although no one immediately claimed responsibility for the blasts, Defence Minister Ruwan Wijewardena has blamed “religious extremists” as responsible for the terror attacks.
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Confirmed: At least five Brits have been killed in attacks in Sri Lanka, according to the country’s ministry of foreign affairs.
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Bowing to pressure from Christian community the Pope urges the return of refugees to Syria.
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Archbishop of Colombo speaks out saying perpetrators must be punished ‘mercilessly’, The Archbishop of Colombo is calling for those responsible for the Easter Sunday blasts in Sri Lanka to be punished “mercilessly.” Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith called on Sri Lanka’s government to launch a “very impartial strong inquiry” and to punish those found responsible “mercilessly because only animals can behave like that.” (AP)
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European leaders condemn attacks:
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An island-wide curfew announced by the Sri Lanka government hitting Whatsapp and other social media.
“The government has decided to block all social media platforms in order to prevent incorrect and wrong information being spread. This is only a temporary measure,” Mr Udaya R. Seneviratne, secretary to the president said in a statement.
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Police suspect another attack, (9th attack). Some suspicious people have evaded police. In that, the proposed curfew which was to have begun at 6pm has now been imposed with immediate effect.
Military can be seen sweeping the streets of people. Reports of fights and car crashes.
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Check out this map of where the blasts have taken place thanks to The Guardian:
MAP: https://interactive.guim.co.uk/uploader/embed/2019/04/sri-lanka-zip/giv-3902cvwVfpTmlE8p/
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Sri Lankan politician Ruwan Wijewardene Ministry of Defence Statement:
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Report: The Sri Lankan government has decided to impose a
military-imposed curfew. Curfew resolution acceded after the 8th attack.
Curfew hours are between 6pm and end at 6am tomorrow morning
Current time: 3pm
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An eighth blast hits Sri Lankan capital: police Reported AFP
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Confirmed reports that there are a number of foreigners among the dead. The number is at least 20 Hospital official updates.
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A new blast hit the Sri Lankan capital of Colombo on Sunday, police said, the eighth explosion in the country in a single day.
Police said the blast hit the suburb of Orugodawatta in the north of the capital, but there were no further details on what was targeted.
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Condemnation of the attacks from UK leaders.
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According to a police spokesman, the AFP has updated 2 people have been killed in the seventh explosion:
> https://twitter.com/AFP/status/1119885974480269312/photo/1 <
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A seventh explosion reported at a hotel as reported by Reuters and Guardian. This time explosion in Dehiwala, a suburb of Colombo, also citing police.
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- Documents seen by AF0P show that Sri Lanka’s police chief Pujuth Jayasundara issued an intelligence alert to top officers 10 days ago, warning that suicide bombers planned to hit “prominent churches”.
- “A foreign intelligence agency has reported that the NTJ (National Thowheeth Jama’ath) is planning to carry out suicide attacks targeting prominent churches as well as the Indian high commission in Colombo,” the alert said.
- The NTJ is a radical Muslim group in Sri Lanka that was linked last year to the vandalisation of Buddhist statues.
Read that here:
https://theunshackled.net/rundown/islamic-group-national-thowheed-jamath-probably-behind-easter-chuch-bombings-afp-report-shows/
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Rumors are circulating about the prospect of further attacks, but the intelligence and security community has no leads yet on which terrorist organizations or religious organizations could or are behind the attacks.
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Pakistan’s Prime Ministers has “condemn the horrific terrorist attack in Sri Lanka”.
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Sri Lanka’s president, Maithripala Sirisena, said in an address that he was shocked by the explosions and appealed for calm.
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The prime minister, Ranil Wickremesinghe, wrote on Twitter: “I strongly condemn the cowardly attacks on our people today. “I call upon all Sri Lankans during this tragic time to remain united and strong. Please avoid propagating unverified reports and speculation. The government is taking immediate steps to contain this situation.”
The military had been deployed, according to a military spokesman, and security stepped up at Colombo’s international airport.
“PM (Prime Minister) met with ministers and senior military personnel; all measures taken to maintain peace,” Sri Lanka’s Minister of Economic Reforms and Public Distribution, Harsha de Silva, said in a tweet on his verified account.
“Security tightened. Please stay calm. Please act responsibly. Please, no politics. We must all act together as Sri Lanka citizens. My condolences to all families who lost loved ones.”
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“I call upon all Sri Lankans during this tragic time to remain united and strong. Please avoid propagating unverified reports and speculation. The government is taking immediate steps to contain this situation.”
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This is a developing story! Please return to this page for updates as they come in!
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