Lanka police chief had warned of suicide attack threat before blasts

April 21, 2019 13:04

Sri Lanka's police chief made a nationwide alert 10 days before Sunday's bomb attacks in the country that suicide bombers planned to hit "prominent churches", according to the warning.

Police chief Pujuth Jayasundara sent an intelligence warning to top officers on April 11 setting out the threat.

"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," said the alert.

The NTJ is a radical Muslim group in Sri Lanka that came to notice last year when it was linked to the vandalisation of Buddhist statues.

At least 129 people were killed in six bomb attacks Sunday that included three churches.

« Back to LIVE

TOP STORIES

IPL: Why CSK can't afford to take Punjab Kings lightly

CSK can ill-afford to take Punjab Kings lightly, who are coming in to this match after chasing down a world record total of 262 against KKR.

Small, midcaps remain mutual fund investors' top choice in March

Even as net flows into smallcap funds in March turned negative, for the first time in 30 months, they remained a big draw for new investors. The smallcap fund category saw a net of 360,000 investment accounts, or folios, getting added...

Smallcaps Poised For Largest 5-Month Gain

Market players attribute the rally in small and midcaps to flows from retail investors and domestic institutions.

See These Stunning Frames Before You Watch Heeramandi

As Heeramandi, set in 1920s Lahore, drops on Netflix on May 1, Sukanya Verma marvels at Bhansali's magnificent slices of history in 25 resplendent frames.

'They Wanted Me To Join The BJP'

'When I stepped down from the (United Nations) secretary general's race, the first visitor I had was a former minister of the Vajpayee government inviting me to the join the BJP.'