Watch FIFA World Cup 2026™ LIVE, FREE and EXCLUSIVE

Sri Lankan Government admits it had prior knowledge of attacks on churches before Easter Sunday bombings

Bomb blast Sri Lanka

Bomb blast Sri Lanka Source: Reuters

The Sri Lankan Government has admitted it had "prior information" of attacks on churches involving a little known local Islamist group, but didn't do enough about it.


Prime Minister Ranil Wickremsinghe [[WIK-rem-uh-SING-uh]] says the government had some "prior information of the attack", though ministers weren't told.

He says there wasn't an adequate response and there needs to be an inquiry into how the information was used.

On Sunday [[21/4]] afternoon, three police officers were killed during a security forces raid on a house in the Sri Lankan capital several hours after the attacks.

Police said 13 people have been arrested, all of whom are Sri Lankans.

A curfew has been put in place in Colombo and access to social media and messaging sites, including Facebook and WhatsApp, blocked.


Share

News

Sign up now for the latest news from Australia and around the world direct to your inbox.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Follow SBS Arabic

Download our apps

Listen to our podcasts

Get the latest with our exclusive in-language podcasts on your favourite podcast apps.

Watch on SBS

Arabic Collection

Watch SBS On Demand

Watch now