One of the bombers behind the Easter Sunday carnage in Sri Lanka once studied in the United Kingdom, officials say, as further details on the attackers emerge.
“He studied there in the mid-2000s and did not complete a full university degree”; a senior Whitehall official.
“The attacker later did a course in Australia”, Sri Lanka’s deputy defense minister said.
The overall death toll by the bombings on Sunday 21st April has risen to 359, with more than 500 people injured.
Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe has said, “the Islamic State (IS) group may be linked to the blasts”.
IS has said that it carried out the attacks, which targeted churches and high-end hotels, still, it did not give clear evidence of its involvement in the Sri Lanka Easter Bombings.
Key information from officials today – BBC Official:
- Police have identified eight out of nine attackers – one of whom was a woman – with no foreigners among them
- Most of the attackers were “well educated” and “middle class”
- The US envoy to Sri Lanka warned there were “ongoing terrorist plots” in the country
- Police have now detained around 60 people in connection with the attacks