Easter Attacks in Sri Lanka Claimed by ISIS
By Brady Lorch (Sports Editor)
Although they no hold territorial sway over the Middle East, ISIS has shown that it still has the power to cause destruction when it attacked churches, hotels, and other areas across the small, island nation of Sri Lanka on Easter. Over the course of Easter Sunday, citizens of Sri Lanka were terrorized as nine bombs were detonated across the nation, killing over 200 and wounding many more. It is being reported as the deadliest act of violence since the nation’s recent civil war was resolved ten years ago.
Ruwan Wijewardena, Sri Lanka’s defense minister, has labeled the bombings as terrorist attacks conducted by religious extremists. Police announced that they had taken 13 suspects into custody by the end of Easter Sunday, however, ISIS has recently claimed responsibility for the attacks. Wijewardena has stated that authorities believe the attacks were conducted in suicide bombings. Most of the bombings were reported to have occured in or around the nation’s capital, Colombo. Immediately after the attacks, curfews were put into place and social media was blocked in order to stop false rumors from spreading.
Photo Credit: Asanka Brendon Ratnayake – The Washington Post
