Attacks in Sri Lanka. The government declares a state of emergency

The South Asian country, bereaved after a series of attacks on Sunday, declared a State of Emergency and a night curfew from Monday.

The Sri Lanka declared a state of emergency Monday and tracked the leaders of suicide attacks that killed at least 290 dead on Easter Sunday , including dozens of foreigners , an imputed bloodbath at a local Islamic movement whose he investigation seeks to determine possible international connections .

Twenty-four people were arrested after the coordinated bombings which targeted four hotels and three churches, Sri Lankan authorities said. The FBI is assisting them in their investigation and Interpol will also deploy a team of investigators.

These attacks, which also left 500 injured, have still not been claimed.

But 87 bomb detonators were discovered Monday at a Colombo bus station halfway between upscale beachfront hotels and St. Anthony’s Church, the sites of Sunday’s attacks.

A state of emergency was declared from midnight Monday (8:30 p.m. in France) in this country of 21 million inhabitants, as well as a new night curfew.

Sri Lanka had not experienced such an episode of violence since the end of the civil war ten years ago. And the island’s Christian minority (7% of the population) had never been the target of such carnage.

Investigators are now seeking to determine whether the National Thowheeth Jama’ath (NTJ), designated as responsible for the attacks, was able to benefit from foreign logistical support.

The Sri Lankan government spokesman said he was “struggling to see how a small organization in this country can do all of this . ” “We are investigating possible foreign aid and their other links, how they train suicide bombers, how they produced these bombs,” he said.

The main feat of arms of this little-known extremist group so far was the degradation of Buddhist statues last December.

But the organization had been the subject of an alert disseminated to the police ten days ago, according to which it was preparing suicide attacks against churches of the Christian minority and the Indian embassy in Colombo. Government spokesman Rajitha Senaratne said the alert had not been passed on to the prime minister or other high-ranking ministers.

“The intelligence services have reported that there are international terrorist groups behind local terrorists,” said President Maithripala Sirisena during a meeting with foreign diplomats, asking for the assistance of the international community, according to statements. reported by its services. The two main international jihadist organizations, al-Qaeda and the Islamic State (IS) group, have sought for years to recruit from Muslim communities on the Indian subcontinent. Their propaganda insists on the persecution of which they believe the Muslims in the region are victims.

About thirty foreigners killed

At least 31 foreigners, including a person of French nationality, are among the dead, the Sri Lankan foreign ministry said on Monday. 14 others are still missing and could be among the unidentified victims at the morgue, the ministry added.

But, for its part, the local police have established at least 37 the death toll of foreigners, while the process of identifying victims is complicated.

Three of the four children of Danish billionaire Anders Holch Povlsen, owner of the Bestseller ready-to-wear group and main shareholder of online retailer ASOS, have died, the group said.

At least four Americans have been killed and several others seriously injured, according to a State Department official at AFP.

The Spanish authorities have also announced the death of two young Spaniards.

And the Netherlands reported three Dutch women killed (two with dual nationality), including a 12-year-old child.

Return of fear

In late Monday afternoon, an explosion occurred during a bomb clearance operation near Saint Anthony’s Church in Colombo, causing panic.

Monday morning, the capital’s mortuary was the scene of scenes of desolation. “The situation is unprecedented,” noted an official on condition of anonymity. “We ask relatives to provide DNA to help identify certain bodies” , too mutilated.

In the streets of Colombo on Monday, life resumed a seemingly normal course. For many Sri Lankans, Sunday’s attacks brought back terrible memories of the dark years of civil war between the Sinhalese majority and the Tamil independence rebellion.

At the time, bombings were common. “The series of explosions yesterday reminded us of the time when we were afraid to take buses or trains because of the parcel bombs,” said Malathi Wickrama, a municipal sweeper.

Near-simultaneous attacks

Six very close explosions occurred Sunday morning and two others several hours later, in this country popular with tourists for its idyllic beaches and lush green nature.

In Colombo, three luxury beachfront hotels – the Cinnamon Grand Hotel, the Shangri-La and the Kingsbury – as well as St. Anthony’s Church have been hit by suicide bombers. Bombs also exploded in the Church of Saint Sebastian in Negombo and in another in Batticaloa, on the eastern coast.

A few hours later, two new explosions occurred. One in a hotel in Dehiwala, a southern suburb of Colombo, the other in Orugodawatta, in the north of the city.

And Sunday evening, a “homemade bomb” was defused on a road leading to the main terminal of Colombo airport, which remains open under high security.

From the Vatican to the United States via India, international condemnations have been unanimous.

“President Trump has pledged US support for Sri Lanka to bring the perpetrators to justice,” according to the White House.

About 1.2 million Catholics live in Sri Lanka, a predominantly Buddhist country (70%) which also has 12% Hindus and 10% Muslims.

Foreign embassies in Sri Lanka have advised their nationals to avoid non-imperative travel. The United States has raised the possibility of further attacks in its travel advice.