ISIS claimed responsibility Tuesday for the Easter Sunday church and hotel bombings in Sri Lanka that killed more than 300 people.
The terrorist group did not provide evidence to support its claim.
“The perpetrators of the attack that targeted nationals of the countries of the coalitions and Christians in Sri Lanka before yesterday are fighters from the Islamic State,” its Aamaq news agency said according to a translation by the Associated Press cited by The New York Times. (RELATED: Danish Billionaire Loses 3 Children In Sri Lanka Easter Attack)
At least 321 people are dead after Sunday’s attacks, reported TIME. Aamaq posted the bulletin after Sri Lankan minister of defense Ruwan Wijewardene claimed the attacks were a retaliation after 50 people were killed in mosque shootings in Christchurch, New Zealand.
An injured Sri Lankan woman lays on a stretcher at a hospital following an explosion at a church in Batticaloa in eastern Sri Lanka on April 21, 2019. (LAKRUWAN WANNIARACHCHI/AFP/Getty Images)
The Sri Lankan government has blamed the Easter Sunday attacks on National Thowheed Jamath, a local jihadi group. Officials also said the group received international help, according to The NYT.
Sri Lanka’s President Maithripala Sirisena granted wartime powers to the country’s military Monday to pursue and arrest suspects linked to the bombings. The country also blocked Facebook, Instagram and other forms of social media Sunday as it investigated the explosions.
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