Extremists Carried Out Sri Lanka Attacks as Revenge for N. Zealand Mosque Killings, Official Says
“The initial investigation has revealed that this was in retaliation for the New Zealand mosque attack,” junior minister for defense Ruwan Wijewardene told parliament, adding that two domestic extremist groups were believed to be responsible, Reuters reported.
“It was done by National Thawheed Jama’ut along with JMI,” he said, referring to another local group, Jammiyathul Millathu Ibrahim.
He did not elaborate on why authorities believed there was a link to the killing of 50 people at two mosques in the New Zealand city of Christchurch during Friday prayers on March 15. A lone gunman carried out those attacks.
No group has claimed responsibility for the coordinated attacks in Sri Lanka, which officials said were carried out by at least seven suicide bombers, on three churches and four hotels. The toll rose to 321 dead with about 500 people wounded.
