IS claims Sri Lanka attacks

The Islamic State group yesterday claimed a series of bombings that killed more than 320 people in Sri Lanka after the government blamed local Islamists for the blasts.

“Those that carried out the attack that targeted members of the US-led coalition and Christians in Sri Lanka the day before yesterday is Islamic State group fighters,” said a statement released by IS propaganda agency Amaq. Sunday’s bombings targeting churches and high-end hotels are among the deadliest such attacks worldwide since the 2001 strikes on the United States.

The Sri Lankan government on Tuesday blamed the Islamist National Thowheeth Jama’ath (NTJ) group for the blasts, saying they were carried out in retaliation for last month’s attacks on two mosques in New Zealand. The presidency said there was intelligence that “international terror groups” were backing Sri Lankan extremists.

Police sources said yesterday that two Muslim brothers -- sons of a wealthy Colombo spice trader -- were among the perpetrators of the attacks. They blew themselves up as guests queued for breakfast at the Shangri-La and Cinnamon Grand hotels in the capital, the source said.