The Ministry of External Affairs on Saturday issued&nbsp;a <a href="https://www.wionews.com/south-asia/sri-lanka-attacks-us-asks-family-of-diplomats-to-leave-other-missions-issue-warning-213843">travel advisory</a> for Indian nationals to Sri Lanka and directed people "not to undertake non-essential travel".&nbsp;

The MEA, in a release, stated that those who would need to travel to the neighbouring country and are not in a situation to avoid it can contact the High Commission of India in Colombo.&nbsp;

"In case of those undertaking essential travels, they can contact the High Commission of India in Colombo or the Assistant HC in Kandy/Consulates in Hambantota and Jaffna in case of requirement of any assistance. Helpline nos. of the Indian HC are available on the Mission’s website," the ministry noted.&nbsp;

"In view of the prevailing security situation in Sri Lanka in the aftermath of terror attacks on 21 April 2019, Indian nationals intending to travel to Sri Lanka are advised not to undertake non-essential travel," the release read.&nbsp;

The release explaining the situation in the country said," The Government of Sri Lanka has beefed up the security in the country. A nation-wide emergency including night time curfew is in place at present which may also affect travel within Sri Lanka."

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MEA: In case of those undertaking essential travels,they can contact the High Commission of India in Colombo or the Assistant HC in Kandy/Consulates in Hambantota&amp;Jaffna in case of requirement of any assistance.Helpline no. of the Indian HC are available on the Mission’s website. <a href="https://t.co/ngBCFHse7Z">https://t.co/ngBCFHse7Z</a>
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The Indian mission in Colombo is making sure that all Indian citizens are safe and is working overtime to make sure of it. The mission has also facilitated Indians, who in the aftermath of the terror attack, wanted to leave the country. Security of the Indian mission has been beefed up as it was also on the target by the terrorist.

Several other countries have issued a travel advisory to Sri Lanka for their nationals.&nbsp;

The United States has asked family members of its diplomats to leave the country, adding that the authorities are working overtime to make sure it happens.&nbsp;

In an official release, the US embassy in Sri Lanka said, "Department of State ordered the departure of all school-age family members of US government employees in Kindergarten through 12th grade."

The US State Department also authorized the "voluntary departure of non-emergency US government employees and family members."

Washington warned that terror groups are plotting a possible attack in the Island country. The possible location could be "tourist locations, transportation hubs, markets, shopping malls, government facilities, hotels, clubs, restaurants, places of worship, parks, major sporting and cultural events, educational institutions, airports, hospitals"

The United Kingdom has already updated its travel advisory to the country.

Australia in its travel advisory to its citizens said, "Terrorists are likely to carry out further attacks in Sri Lanka." and these "attacks could be indiscriminate, including in places visited by foreigners.''

Russia too followed suit and has asked its citizens to refrain from visiting Sri Lanka.

A series of blasts hit Sri Lanka last week on the day of Easter Sunday. Over 250 people were killed in suicide bombings that had targetted churches and hotels across the island nation.&nbsp;

Meanwhile, the <a href="https://www.wionews.com/south-asia/20-killed-as-sri-lanka-police-raid-suspected-bomber-hideout-on-east-coast-213841">bodies of 15 people, including six children, were discovered</a> at the site of a fierce overnight gun battle on the east coast of Sri Lanka, a military spokesman said on Saturday.&nbsp;

The shootout between troops and suspected Islamist militants erupted on Friday evening in Sainthamaruthu in Ampara, to the south of the town of Batticaloa, site of one of the Easter Sunday blasts at three churches and four luxury hotels, news agency Reuters reported.&nbsp;

(With inputs from agencies)&nbsp;

The Ministry of External Affairs on Saturday issued a travel advisory for Indian nationals to Sri Lanka and directed people "not to undertake non-essential travel".

The Ministry of External Affairs on Saturday issued a travel advisory for Indian nationals to Sri Lanka and directed people "not to undertake non-essential travel". The MEA, in a release, stated that those who would need to travel to the neighbouring country and are not in a situation to avoid it can contact the High Commission of India in Colombo. "In case of those undertaking essential travels, they can contact the High Commission of India in Colombo or the Assistant HC in Kandy/Consulates in Hambantota and Jaffna in case of requirement of any assistance. Helpline nos. of the Indian HC are available on the Mission’s website," the ministry noted. "In view of the prevailing security situation in Sri Lanka in the aftermath of terror attacks on 21 April 2019, Indian nationals intending to travel to Sri Lanka are advised not to undertake non-essential travel," the release read. The release explaining the situation in the country said," The Government of Sri Lanka has beefed up the security in the country. A nation-wide emergency including night time curfew is in place at present which may also affect travel within Sri Lanka." MEA: In case of those undertaking essential travels,they can contact the High Commission of India in Colombo or the Assistant HC in Kandy/Consulates in Hambantota&Jaffna in case of requirement of any assistance.Helpline no. of the Indian HC are available on the Mission’s website. https://t.co/ngBCFHse7Z — ANI (@ANI) April 27, 2019 × The Indian mission in Colombo is making sure that all Indian citizens are safe and is working overtime to make sure of it. The mission has also facilitated Indians, who in the aftermath of the terror attack, wanted to leave the country. Security of the Indian mission has been beefed up as it was also on the target by the terrorist. Several other countries have issued a travel advisory to Sri Lanka for their nationals. The United States has asked family members of its diplomats to leave the country, adding that the authorities are working overtime to make sure it happens. In an official release, the US embassy in Sri Lanka said, "Department of State ordered the departure of all school-age family members of US government employees in Kindergarten through 12th grade." The US State Department also authorized the "voluntary departure of non-emergency US government employees and family members." Washington warned that terror groups are plotting a possible attack in the Island country. The possible location could be "tourist locations, transportation hubs, markets, shopping malls, government facilities, hotels, clubs, restaurants, places of worship, parks, major sporting and cultural events, educational institutions, airports, hospitals" The United Kingdom has already updated its travel advisory to the country. Australia in its travel advisory to its citizens said, "Terrorists are likely to carry out further attacks in Sri Lanka." and these "attacks could be indiscriminate, including in places visited by foreigners.'' Russia too followed suit and has asked its citizens to refrain from visiting Sri Lanka. A series of blasts hit Sri Lanka last week on the day of Easter Sunday. Over 250 people were killed in suicide bombings that had targetted churches and hotels across the island nation. Meanwhile, the bodies of 15 people, including six children, were discovered at the site of a fierce overnight gun battle on the east coast of Sri Lanka, a military spokesman said on Saturday. The shootout between troops and suspected Islamist militants erupted on Friday evening in Sainthamaruthu in Ampara, to the south of the town of Batticaloa, site of one of the Easter Sunday blasts at three churches and four luxury hotels, news agency Reuters reported. (With inputs from agencies)

Indian nationals are advised not to undertake non-essential travel to Sri Lanka: Ministry of External Affairs

A day after Sri Lankan <a href="https://www.wionews.com/south-asia/leader-of-the-group-committed-suicide-at-shangri-la-hotel-police-213412">President Maithripala Sirisena</a> asked the police chief and defence secretary to quit, Hemasiri Fernando, the defence secretary resigned in the wake of terrorist attacks on Easter Sunday which killed at least 359 people.

Fernando&nbsp;said that while there had been no failure on his own part, he was taking responsibility for failures of some institutions he headed as the secretary of defence.

The defence secretary added&nbsp;that security agencies were actively responding to intelligence they had about the possibility of attacks before they were launched.

"We were working on that. All those agencies were working on that," he said.

Lakshman Kiriella, minister of public enterprise had told Parliament on Wednesday that the&nbsp;information on possible suicide attacks on churches, hotels and politicians were received from Indian intelligence on April 4 and a Security Council meeting was chaired by President Maithripala Sirisena on April 7, but the information was not shared more widely.

"Somebody is controlling these top intelligence officials," the minister said. "The Security Council is doing politics. We need to investigate&nbsp;this."

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Sri Lankan PM Ranil Wickremesinghe had confirmed earlier that hat India had offered specific intelligence about an impending attack.

India had warned Sri Lanka of jihadi threat, the PM had confirmed.&nbsp;

The Sri Lankan PM added that "there has always been sharing of information between our two countries with regard to terrorism. There was specific intelligence on this".

At least 36 foreigners have been killed in the attack, with India accounting for 11 victims - the highest death toll so far. The Sri Lankan foreign ministry said 14 foreigners were still missing.

Meanwhile, a senior priest said all of Sri Lanka's Catholic churches have been ordered to stay closed and suspend services until security improves after deadly Easter bombings.

Amid continued heavy security, residents go about their daily lives but many shops remained closed near the blast site. Sri Lankan and international authorities have also focused their investigations on international links to domestic Islamist groups - National Thawheed Jama'ut and Jammiyathul Millathu Ibrahim.

Islamic State(IS) terrorist group claimed responsibility for the attack two days ago.

Minister for Muslim religious affairs Abdul haleem Mohammed Hashim has issued a letter to Muslim calling not to attend Friday Jummah prayers.

In a letter, he said, "As a sign of solitary with the Catholic community &amp; a show of protest against the barbaric act of the ruthless terrorist I appeal to my Muslim brothers to avoid gathering for congregational prayers (on Friday) but to pray in homes instead, for peace and security of our motherland."

Adding, "we stand with Christian brothers and sisters during their times of grief"

US embassy in Sri Lanka has issued advisory. Quoting Sri Lankan authorities, the embassy said, govt is reporting that additional attacks may occur targeting places of worship and asked Americans to avoid specific areas over the weekend, starting Friday the April 26th&nbsp;through Sunday, April 28th.

A day after Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena asked the police chief and defence secretary to quit, Hemasiri Fernando, the defence secretary resigned in the wake of terrorist attacks on Easter Sunday which killed at least 359 people.

A day after Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena asked the police chief and defence secretary to quit, Hemasiri Fernando, the defence secretary resigned in the wake of terrorist attacks on Easter Sunday which killed at least 359 people. Fernando said that while there had been no failure on his own part, he was taking responsibility for failures of some institutions he headed as the secretary of defence. The defence secretary added that security agencies were actively responding to intelligence they had about the possibility of attacks before they were launched. "We were working on that. All those agencies were working on that," he said. Lakshman Kiriella, minister of public enterprise had told Parliament on Wednesday that the information on possible suicide attacks on churches, hotels and politicians were received from Indian intelligence on April 4 and a Security Council meeting was chaired by President Maithripala Sirisena on April 7, but the information was not shared more widely. "Somebody is controlling these top intelligence officials," the minister said. "The Security Council is doing politics. We need to investigate this." Sri Lankan PM Ranil Wickremesinghe had confirmed earlier that hat India had offered specific intelligence about an impending attack. India had warned Sri Lanka of jihadi threat, the PM had confirmed. The Sri Lankan PM added that "there has always been sharing of information between our two countries with regard to terrorism. There was specific intelligence on this". At least 36 foreigners have been killed in the attack, with India accounting for 11 victims - the highest death toll so far. The Sri Lankan foreign ministry said 14 foreigners were still missing. Meanwhile, a senior priest said all of Sri Lanka's Catholic churches have been ordered to stay closed and suspend services until security improves after deadly Easter bombings. Amid continued heavy security, residents go about their daily lives but many shops remained closed near the blast site. Sri Lankan and international authorities have also focused their investigations on international links to domestic Islamist groups - National Thawheed Jama'ut and Jammiyathul Millathu Ibrahim. Islamic State(IS) terrorist group claimed responsibility for the attack two days ago. Minister for Muslim religious affairs Abdul haleem Mohammed Hashim has issued a letter to Muslim calling not to attend Friday Jummah prayers. In a letter, he said, "As a sign of solitary with the Catholic community & a show of protest against the barbaric act of the ruthless terrorist I appeal to my Muslim brothers to avoid gathering for congregational prayers (on Friday) but to pray in homes instead, for peace and security of our motherland." Adding, "we stand with Christian brothers and sisters during their times of grief" US embassy in Sri Lanka has issued advisory. Quoting Sri Lankan authorities, the embassy said, govt is reporting that additional attacks may occur targeting places of worship and asked Americans to avoid specific areas over the weekend, starting Friday the April 26th through Sunday, April 28th.

Sri Lanka terror attacks: Defence secretary Hemasiri Fernando quits

Sri Lankan local media showed more CCTV footage of a suspected bomber at a hotel, with him walking up towards a table at the restaurant, and pacing around it. The suspected bomber, wearing a cap and carrying a big backpack, approached a table in the Taprobane restaurant in the Cinnamon Grand Hotel on Easter Sunday.

CCTV footage shows suspected Sri Lanka bomber pacing in hotel restaurant

After US, China's embassy in Sri Lanka on Tuesday warned Chinese nationals against traveling to Sri Lanka in the near term, after bomb blasts ripped through churches and luxury hotels across the island nation on Easter Sunday.

Sri Lanka Blasts: After US, China also issues travel advisory for visitors to SL

Security in this island, including at the famous Lord Ramanathaswamy Temple, has been beefed up and coastal vigil heightened following the serial bomb blasts in Sri Lanka which left 310 people dead and injured 500 others, police said Tuesday.

The Coast Guard, Coastal Marine Police and the local police have been asked to be vigilant round-the-clock as there was a possibility of some terrorists involved in Sri Lanka's worst terror attack entering India through the sea route.

Police said Coast Guard personnel were patrolling the sea around Rameswaram in hovercraft besides helicopter was also monitoring the situation.

Additional police personnel have been deployed on security duty at the Sri Ramanathaswamy Temple, thronged by pilgrims from across the country throughout the year, and devotees were thoroughly screened, they said.

Police presence had been increased at the railway station and bus stand also.

Thalaimannar in northern Sri Lanka is 18 nautical miles from Rameswaram and the travel time by a motorised boat is just under an hour.

Rameswaram was a hotbed of Sri Lankan Tamil refugee arrivals during the peak of ethnic strife in the neighbouring nation since the 1980s.

Seven suicide bombers believed to be members of an Islamist extremist group - the National Tawheed Jamath (NTJ) - carried out a series of devastating blasts that tore through three churches and luxury hotels in Sri Lanka on Easter Sunday, inflicting huge casualty.

No group has claimed responsibility for the attacks, but police have so far arrested 24 people - mostly members of the NIJ - in connection with the blasts.&nbsp;

Security in this island, including at the famous Lord Ramanathaswamy Temple, has been beefed up and coastal vigil heightened following the serial bomb blasts in Sri Lanka which left 310 people dead and injured 500 others, police said Tuesday.

Security in this island, including at the famous Lord Ramanathaswamy Temple, has been beefed up and coastal vigil heightened following the serial bomb blasts in Sri Lanka which left 310 people dead and injured 500 others, police said Tuesday. The Coast Guard, Coastal Marine Police and the local police have been asked to be vigilant round-the-clock as there was a possibility of some terrorists involved in Sri Lanka's worst terror attack entering India through the sea route. Police said Coast Guard personnel were patrolling the sea around Rameswaram in hovercraft besides helicopter was also monitoring the situation. Additional police personnel have been deployed on security duty at the Sri Ramanathaswamy Temple, thronged by pilgrims from across the country throughout the year, and devotees were thoroughly screened, they said. Police presence had been increased at the railway station and bus stand also. Thalaimannar in northern Sri Lanka is 18 nautical miles from Rameswaram and the travel time by a motorised boat is just under an hour. Rameswaram was a hotbed of Sri Lankan Tamil refugee arrivals during the peak of ethnic strife in the neighbouring nation since the 1980s. Seven suicide bombers believed to be members of an Islamist extremist group - the National Tawheed Jamath (NTJ) - carried out a series of devastating blasts that tore through three churches and luxury hotels in Sri Lanka on Easter Sunday, inflicting huge casualty. No group has claimed responsibility for the attacks, but police have so far arrested 24 people - mostly members of the NIJ - in connection with the blasts.

Tamil Nadu: Tight vigil mounted in Rameswaram following Lanka blasts

The CCTV footage showing a suspected suicide bomber entering St Sebastian's church in Negombo, on Sunday.

CCTV video shows suspected suicide bomber entering Sri Lankan church

Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena will be announcing a nationwide emergency from midnight on Monday following Easter Day blasts. The development comes soon after the Sri Lankan <a href="https://www.wionews.com/south-asia/sri-lanka-serial-blasts-authorities-lift-curfew-after-death-toll-spikes-to-290-212490">authorities lifted a curfew in the country</a> on Monday and <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/sri-lanka-government-orders-new-curfew-after-attacks-212543">another night-time curfew was imposed</a>.&nbsp;

Meanwhile, the government has lent credence to a controversial letter saying <a href="https://www.wionews.com/south-asia/sri-lanka-says-local-militant-group-national-thowheed-jamath-behind-easter-sunday-blasts-212556">local outfit National Thowheed Jamath</a> (NTJ) is believed to be responsible for the Easter Sunday bomb attacks in the country.

The bomb attacks were carried out with the help of an international network, cabinet spokesman Rajitha Senaratne said on Monday.

"We do not believe these attacks were carried out by a group of people who were confined to this country," Senaratne said. "There was an international network without which these attacks could not have succeeded."

A senior investigator said that seven suicide bombers took part in the devastating attacks on churches and luxury hotels that killed 290 people and wounded more than 500.

Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe on Sunday acknowledged that the "<a href="https://www.wionews.com/south-asia/sri-lanka-blasts-pm-says-priority-is-to-ensure-terrorism-doesnt-lift-its-head-in-country-212406">information was there</a>" about possible attacks, news agency AFP reported.&nbsp; 
&nbsp; 
Wickremesinghe added that the government's first priority would be to "apprehend the terrorists and ensure that terrorism does not lift its head in Sri Lanka."

"While this goes, on we must also look into why adequate precautions were not taken," he said.

The Sri Lankan police on Monday arrested 24 people in connection with the serial blasts. An improvised pipe bomb was discovered close to Colombo's main airport and was successfully <a href="https://www.wionews.com/south-asia/sri-lanka-serial-blasts-13-under-arrest-ninth-bomb-defused-near-colombo-airport-212476">defused by the Sri Lanka airforce</a>, the police said.&nbsp;

As many as 290 people were killed and about 500 wounded by a string of bombings that tore through churches and luxury hotels on Easter Sunday in Sri Lanka. The attacks are been billed as the worst-ever in the history of the island nation after the civil war that ended almost a decade ago.

(With inputs from agencies)&nbsp;

Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena will be announcing a nationwide emergency from midnight on Monday following Easter Day blasts. The development comes soon after the Sri Lankan authorities lifted a curfew in the country on Monday and another night-time curfew was imposed.

Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena will be announcing a nationwide emergency from midnight on Monday following Easter Day blasts. The development comes soon after the Sri Lankan authorities lifted a curfew in the country on Monday and another night-time curfew was imposed. Meanwhile, the government has lent credence to a controversial letter saying local outfit National Thowheed Jamath (NTJ) is believed to be responsible for the Easter Sunday bomb attacks in the country. The bomb attacks were carried out with the help of an international network, cabinet spokesman Rajitha Senaratne said on Monday. "We do not believe these attacks were carried out by a group of people who were confined to this country," Senaratne said. "There was an international network without which these attacks could not have succeeded." A senior investigator said that seven suicide bombers took part in the devastating attacks on churches and luxury hotels that killed 290 people and wounded more than 500. Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe on Sunday acknowledged that the "information was there" about possible attacks, news agency AFP reported. Wickremesinghe added that the government's first priority would be to "apprehend the terrorists and ensure that terrorism does not lift its head in Sri Lanka." "While this goes, on we must also look into why adequate precautions were not taken," he said. The Sri Lankan police on Monday arrested 24 people in connection with the serial blasts. An improvised pipe bomb was discovered close to Colombo's main airport and was successfully defused by the Sri Lanka airforce, the police said. As many as 290 people were killed and about 500 wounded by a string of bombings that tore through churches and luxury hotels on Easter Sunday in Sri Lanka. The attacks are been billed as the worst-ever in the history of the island nation after the civil war that ended almost a decade ago. (With inputs from agencies)

Sri Lanka serial blasts: President Sirisena to announce nationwide emergency from midnight

The Sri Lankan government has lent credence to a controversial letter saying local outfit National Thowheed Jamath (NTJ) is believed to be responsible for the <a href="https://www.wionews.com/south-asia/sri-lanka-memo-circulated-a-day-before-had-warned-of-attack-212458">Easter Sunday bomb attacks</a> in the country.

The bomb attacks were carried out with the help of an international network, cabinet spokesman Rajitha Senaratne said on Monday.

"We do not believe these attacks were carried out by a group of people who were confined to this country," Senaratne said. "There was an international network without which these attacks could not have succeeded."

Meanwhile, a senior investigator said that seven suicide bombers took part in the devastating attacks on churches and luxury hotels that killed 290 people and wounded more than 500.

Two of the suicide bombers blew themselves up at the luxury Shangri-La Hotel on Colombo's seafront, said Ariyananda Welianga, a senior official at the government's forensic division. The others targeted three churches and two other hotels.

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A fourth hotel and a house in a suburb of the capital Colombo were also targeted, but it was not immediately known how the attacks were carried out.

"Still the investigations are going on," Welianga said.

"Guests who had come for breakfast were lying on the floor, blood all over," an employee at Kingsbury Hotel, one of those targeted, told news agency Reuters.

"We just picked up everyone, dead or alive and evacuated them."

Four of the bombs went off at roughly the same time, at 8.45 am, with two others coming within 20 minutes. The explosions at the fourth hotel and the house were in the afternoon.

Sri Lankans accounted for the bulk of the dead and wounded although government officials said 32 foreigners were killed, including British, US, Turkish, Indian, Chinese, Danish, Dutch and Portuguese nationals.

President Maithripala Sirisena, who was abroad when the attacks happened, had called a meeting of the National Security Council on Monday, a government source said. Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe would attend the meeting, the source said.

The US State Department said in a <a href="https://www.wionews.com/south-asia/us-revises-travel-advisory-for-sri-lanka-warns-terrorists-continue-plotting-attacks-212496">travel advisory</a> "terrorist groups" were continuing to plot possible attacks in Sri Lanka and targets could included tourist spots, transport hubs, shopping malls, hotels, places of worship, airports and other public areas.

The government <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/sri-lanka-government-orders-new-curfew-after-attacks-212543">announced a curfew</a> in Colombo from 8pm until 4am. A Sunday night curfew <a href="https://www.wionews.com/south-asia/sri-lanka-serial-blasts-authorities-lift-curfew-after-death-toll-spikes-to-290-212490">was lifted in the morning</a>.

The Sri Lankan military, who were clearing the route from Colombo airport late on Sunday in preparation for Sirisena's return, found a crude bomb near the departure gate, an air force spokesman said.

They destroyed the device in a controlled explosion.

There were fears the attacks could spark a renewal of communal violence, with police also reporting late on Sunday there had been a petrol bomb attack on a mosque in the northwest and arson attacks on two shops owned by Muslims in the west.

Buddhist-majority Sri Lanka was at war for decades with ethnic minority Tamil separatists but violence had largely ended since the government victory in the civil war, 10 years ago.

Sri Lanka's 22 million people include Christian, Muslim and Hindu minority populations.

The explosion at the house in the Colombo suburb occurred when security forces raided a house there on Sunday afternoon, several hours after the attack. Police reported an explosion at the house and said three officers were killed.

Police said on Monday <a href="https://www.wionews.com/south-asia/sri-lanka-serial-blasts-13-under-arrest-ninth-bomb-defused-near-colombo-airport-212476">24 people had been arrested</a>, all of whom were Sri Lankan.

SOCIAL MEDIA BLOCKED

Traffic was uncharacteristically thin in normally bustling Colombo after the island-wide curfew was lifted.

Soldiers with automatic weapons stood guard outside major hotels and the World Trade Centre in the business district, where the four hotels were targeted, a Reuters witness said.

Scores of people who were stranded overnight at the main airport began making their way home as restrictions were lifted.

The government also blocked access to social media and messaging sites, including Facebook and WhatsApp, making information hard to gather.

A British mother and son eating breakfast at the luxury Shangri-La hotel were among those killed, British media reported.

An Australian survivor, identified only as Sam, told Australia's 3AW radio the hotel was a scene of "absolute carnage".

He said he and a travel partner were also having breakfast at the Shangri-La when two blasts went off. He said he had seen two men wearing backpacks seconds before the blasts.

"There were people screaming and dead bodies all around," he said. "Kids crying, kids on the ground, I don't know if they were dead or not, just crazy."

There were similar scenes of carnage at two churches in or near Colombo, and a third church in the northeast town of Batticaloa, where worshippers had gathered for Easter Sunday services. Pictures from the scene showed bodies on the ground and blood-spattered pews and statues.

Dozens were killed in one of the blasts at the Gothic-style St. Sebastian church in Katuwapitiya, north of Colombo. Police said they suspected that blast was a suicide attack.

DOMESTIC FEUD

Wickremesinghe acknowledged on Sunday that the government had some prior information about possible attacks on churches involving a little-known Islamist group but said ministers had not been told.

The apparent lapse could feed into a feud between the prime minister and the president.

Sirisena fired the premier last year and installed opposition strongman Mahinda Rajapaksa in his stead. Weeks later, he was forced to re-instate Wickremesinghe because of pressure from the Supreme Court but their relationship is still fraught as a presidential election nears.

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/world-leaders-condemn-bombings-in-sri-lanka-212499/embed" width="560"></iframe></div>

The Sri Lankan government has lent credence to a controversial letter saying local outfit National Thowheed Jamath (NTJ) is believed to be responsible for the Easter Sunday bomb attacks in the country.

The Sri Lankan government has lent credence to a controversial letter saying local outfit National Thowheed Jamath (NTJ) is believed to be responsible for the Easter Sunday bomb attacks in the country. The bomb attacks were carried out with the help of an international network, cabinet spokesman Rajitha Senaratne said on Monday. "We do not believe these attacks were carried out by a group of people who were confined to this country," Senaratne said. "There was an international network without which these attacks could not have succeeded." Meanwhile, a senior investigator said that seven suicide bombers took part in the devastating attacks on churches and luxury hotels that killed 290 people and wounded more than 500. Two of the suicide bombers blew themselves up at the luxury Shangri-La Hotel on Colombo's seafront, said Ariyananda Welianga, a senior official at the government's forensic division. The others targeted three churches and two other hotels. A fourth hotel and a house in a suburb of the capital Colombo were also targeted, but it was not immediately known how the attacks were carried out. "Still the investigations are going on," Welianga said. "Guests who had come for breakfast were lying on the floor, blood all over," an employee at Kingsbury Hotel, one of those targeted, told news agency Reuters. "We just picked up everyone, dead or alive and evacuated them." Four of the bombs went off at roughly the same time, at 8.45 am, with two others coming within 20 minutes. The explosions at the fourth hotel and the house were in the afternoon. Sri Lankans accounted for the bulk of the dead and wounded although government officials said 32 foreigners were killed, including British, US, Turkish, Indian, Chinese, Danish, Dutch and Portuguese nationals. President Maithripala Sirisena, who was abroad when the attacks happened, had called a meeting of the National Security Council on Monday, a government source said. Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe would attend the meeting, the source said. The US State Department said in a travel advisory "terrorist groups" were continuing to plot possible attacks in Sri Lanka and targets could included tourist spots, transport hubs, shopping malls, hotels, places of worship, airports and other public areas. The government announced a curfew in Colombo from 8pm until 4am. A Sunday night curfew was lifted in the morning. The Sri Lankan military, who were clearing the route from Colombo airport late on Sunday in preparation for Sirisena's return, found a crude bomb near the departure gate, an air force spokesman said. They destroyed the device in a controlled explosion. There were fears the attacks could spark a renewal of communal violence, with police also reporting late on Sunday there had been a petrol bomb attack on a mosque in the northwest and arson attacks on two shops owned by Muslims in the west. Buddhist-majority Sri Lanka was at war for decades with ethnic minority Tamil separatists but violence had largely ended since the government victory in the civil war, 10 years ago. Sri Lanka's 22 million people include Christian, Muslim and Hindu minority populations. The explosion at the house in the Colombo suburb occurred when security forces raided a house there on Sunday afternoon, several hours after the attack. Police reported an explosion at the house and said three officers were killed. Police said on Monday 24 people had been arrested, all of whom were Sri Lankan. SOCIAL MEDIA BLOCKED Traffic was uncharacteristically thin in normally bustling Colombo after the island-wide curfew was lifted. Soldiers with automatic weapons stood guard outside major hotels and the World Trade Centre in the business district, where the four hotels were targeted, a Reuters witness said. Scores of people who were stranded overnight at the main airport began making their way home as restrictions were lifted. The government also blocked access to social media and messaging sites, including Facebook and WhatsApp, making information hard to gather. A British mother and son eating breakfast at the luxury Shangri-La hotel were among those killed, British media reported. An Australian survivor, identified only as Sam, told Australia's 3AW radio the hotel was a scene of "absolute carnage". He said he and a travel partner were also having breakfast at the Shangri-La when two blasts went off. He said he had seen two men wearing backpacks seconds before the blasts. "There were people screaming and dead bodies all around," he said. "Kids crying, kids on the ground, I don't know if they were dead or not, just crazy." There were similar scenes of carnage at two churches in or near Colombo, and a third church in the northeast town of Batticaloa, where worshippers had gathered for Easter Sunday services. Pictures from the scene showed bodies on the ground and blood-spattered pews and statues. Dozens were killed in one of the blasts at the Gothic-style St. Sebastian church in Katuwapitiya, north of Colombo. Police said they suspected that blast was a suicide attack. DOMESTIC FEUD Wickremesinghe acknowledged on Sunday that the government had some prior information about possible attacks on churches involving a little-known Islamist group but said ministers had not been told. The apparent lapse could feed into a feud between the prime minister and the president. Sirisena fired the premier last year and installed opposition strongman Mahinda Rajapaksa in his stead. Weeks later, he was forced to re-instate Wickremesinghe because of pressure from the Supreme Court but their relationship is still fraught as a presidential election nears.

Sri Lanka says local militant group National Thowheed Jamath behind Easter Sunday blasts

Sri Lanka was rocked by multiple explosions on Sunday, including three blasts on church services celebrating Easter.

Three of Colombo's high-end hotels were also targeted in quick succession, police and security services said.&nbsp;

At least 42 people killed and 280 have been injured in the blasts as worshippers were attending Easter Sunday services, a hospital official said.

<iframe height="480" src="https://www.google.com/maps/d/embed?mid=1Ll9S-Pw6prjVNOQkVYjGTydeGOaHrUhq&amp;hl=en" width="640"></iframe>

"More than hundred people have already been admitted, and more are still coming in," an official at the Colombo National Hospital said on condition of anonymity.

Police said the blasts hit churches in the north of the capital and in the town of Negombo, just outside Colombo.

The nature of the explosions was not immediately clear.

"A bomb attack to our church, please come and help if your family members are there," read a post in English on the Facebook page of the St Sebastian's Church at Katuwapitiya in Negombo.

Only around six per cent of mainly Buddhist Sri Lanka is Catholic, but the religion is seen as a unifying force because it includes people from both the Tamil and majority Sinhalese ethnic groups.

There were no immediate claims of responsibility. 
 
(With inputs from AFP)

Sri Lanka was rocked by multiple explosions on Sunday, including three blasts on church services celebrating Easter. Three of Colombo's high-end hotels were also targeted in quick succession, police and security services said.

Sri Lanka was rocked by multiple explosions on Sunday, including three blasts on church services celebrating Easter. Three of Colombo's high-end hotels were also targeted in quick succession, police and security services said. At least 42 people killed and 280 have been injured in the blasts as worshippers were attending Easter Sunday services, a hospital official said. "More than hundred people have already been admitted, and more are still coming in," an official at the Colombo National Hospital said on condition of anonymity. Police said the blasts hit churches in the north of the capital and in the town of Negombo, just outside Colombo. The nature of the explosions was not immediately clear. "A bomb attack to our church, please come and help if your family members are there," read a post in English on the Facebook page of the St Sebastian's Church at Katuwapitiya in Negombo. Only around six per cent of mainly Buddhist Sri Lanka is Catholic, but the religion is seen as a unifying force because it includes people from both the Tamil and majority Sinhalese ethnic groups. There were no immediate claims of responsibility. (With inputs from AFP)

At least 42 killed, nearly 300 injured as serial explosions hit Sri Lanka

Christians marked Easter Sunday (April 1) with a mass led by the acting Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem Pierbattista Pizzaballa, at Jerusalem's Church of the Holy Sepulchre.

Hundreds of pilgrims came to the church in the Old City, for a mass to mark the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Many Christians believe Jesus's body was buried at what became the site of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.

The congregation in the church sang hymns during the celebration. The Easter week culminates on Easter Sunday when Christians believe Jesus rose from the dead, three days after being crucified.

Shortly after the service ended hundreds of Orthodox Christians arrived at the church for a Palm Sunday service, to mark the beginning of their Easter week festivities. The worshippers entered the church waving palm fronds and branches. The service was led by the Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem Theophilos III.

In Gaza City, the small community of Christians, most of them Greek Orthodox, held a Palm Sunday service at the Saint Porfirios church.

Gaza has only 1,000 Christians among a population of 2 million in the narrow coastal strip.

Orthodox Christians celebrate Easter a week later, when Palestinians and pilgrims from around the world attend the ceremony of the Holy Fire.

Hundreds of pilgrims came to the church in the Old City, for a mass to mark the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Christians marked Easter Sunday (April 1) with a mass led by the acting Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem Pierbattista Pizzaballa, at Jerusalem's Church of the Holy Sepulchre. Hundreds of pilgrims came to the church in the Old City, for a mass to mark the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Many Christians believe Jesus's body was buried at what became the site of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. The congregation in the church sang hymns during the celebration. The Easter week culminates on Easter Sunday when Christians believe Jesus rose from the dead, three days after being crucified. Shortly after the service ended hundreds of Orthodox Christians arrived at the church for a Palm Sunday service, to mark the beginning of their Easter week festivities. The worshippers entered the church waving palm fronds and branches. The service was led by the Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem Theophilos III. In Gaza City, the small community of Christians, most of them Greek Orthodox, held a Palm Sunday service at the Saint Porfirios church. Gaza has only 1,000 Christians among a population of 2 million in the narrow coastal strip. Orthodox Christians celebrate Easter a week later, when Palestinians and pilgrims from around the world attend the ceremony of the Holy Fire.

Easter Sunday mass held at Jerusalem's Holy Sepulchre

A major terrorist attack was foiled by the Pakistani army in Lahore, after a suspected militant was killed and a woman arrested during an overnight military operation.

Lahore, the country&#39;s cultural capital, was the scene of a bloody attack on Easter Sunday in 2016 when at least 75 people were killed and over 300 wounded.

&quot;A major terrorist attack planned for Easter in Lahore tomorrow was successfully foiled by intelligence agencies,&quot; a military statement said.

The army did not mention the affiliation of the militant.

The security forces also impounded suicide jackets and explosives.

Pakistan television agency Dunya News identified the slain militant as Tariq.

But nipping the terror plot took the army several hours into the night before they could kill the militant. Four soldiers were injured during the overnight raid which took place near Punjab Housing Society.

Pakistan suffered a surge of violent attacks in February that killed 130 people and shook citizens, who had been emboldened by a tentative sense of growing security.

The attacks included a bomb blast in Lahore on February 13 which killed 14 people in an assault claimed by Pakistani Taliban faction.

Seven people were also killed and 19 wounded in the city during a Taliban suicide attack targeting a census team on April 5. &nbsp;

The renewed violence has dented optimism after the country appeared to be making strong gains in its decade-and-a-half long war on militancy, with analysts speaking of a militant resurgence.

(WION with inputs from AFP)

An overnight army operation in a building in Lahore, killing a suspected militant

A major terrorist attack was foiled by the Pakistani army in Lahore, after a suspected militant was killed and a woman arrested during an overnight military operation. Lahore, the country's cultural capital, was the scene of a bloody attack on Easter Sunday in 2016 when at least 75 people were killed and over 300 wounded. "A major terrorist attack planned for Easter in Lahore tomorrow was successfully foiled by intelligence agencies," a military statement said. The army did not mention the affiliation of the militant. The security forces also impounded suicide jackets and explosives. Pakistan television agency Dunya News identified the slain militant as Tariq. But nipping the terror plot took the army several hours into the night before they could kill the militant. Four soldiers were injured during the overnight raid which took place near Punjab Housing Society. Pakistan suffered a surge of violent attacks in February that killed 130 people and shook citizens, who had been emboldened by a tentative sense of growing security. The attacks included a bomb blast in Lahore on February 13 which killed 14 people in an assault claimed by Pakistani Taliban faction. Seven people were also killed and 19 wounded in the city during a Taliban suicide attack targeting a census team on April 5. The renewed violence has dented optimism after the country appeared to be making strong gains in its decade-and-a-half long war on militancy, with analysts speaking of a militant resurgence. (WION with inputs from AFP)

'Major' Easter Sunday attack nipped in the bud by Pakistan army

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