Sri Lankan security forces block the site of the bomb blast on April 22, 2019 (Photo: AFP/VNA) |
ISIS news agency Amaq said in a post that the perpetrators of the attacks were fighters of the Islamic State, but provided no evidence. Meanwhile, Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe blamed a local Islamic armed force called National Thowheeth Jama’ath for the attack and said the group is part of a global terrorism network.
UNICEF spokesperson Christophe Boulierac said at least 45 children were killed in the Sri Lanka bombings and the death toll may go higher.