Attack On Christians At Easter –207 Persons Bombed To Death

At least, 207 persons have been bombed to death in a series of attacks targeted at Christians trying to celebrate the Easter service.

The range of attacks, at eight different times ripped through churches and hotels where the faithful were commemorating the resurrection of Christ.

The attacks took place in Sri Lanka on Sunday, affecting not only locals but also dozens of foreigners.

Police said 35 foreigners were among the dead, including British, Dutch, Portuguese, Chinese and American citizens

It has been described as the worst act of violence to hit the country in the decade since the end of a bloody civil war that killed up to 100,000 people.

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The manner of the attacks brought back painful memories of life during the long-running conflict, when bomb blasts were a frequent occurrence in the country.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility but the government said eight people had been arrested and investigators would look into whether the attackers had “overseas links.”

The government also imposed a nationwide curfew and curbed social media access to restrict “wrong information” spreading in the country of 21 million people.

The powerful blasts -– six in quick succession and then two more hours later — injured hundreds.

At least two of them involved suicide bombers, including one who lined up at a hotel breakfast buffet before unleashing carnage.

Aside the dead,  450 people were injured.

Among the churches targeted was the historic St Anthony’s Shrine, a Catholic church in Colombo, where the blast blew out much of the roof.

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Bodies lay on the ground of the church, covered in patterned scarves and white sheets, some of them stained with blood.

Shattered roof tiles and shards of glass littered the floor, along with chunks of plaster blasted from the walls by the explosion.

Documents seen by AFP 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.