Sri Lankan Law Enforcement Failed To Address Warnings Of Radical Muslim Attacks On Christian Churches
11:59 AM 04/22/2019 | World Matt M. Miller | Contributor Authorities in Sri Lanka reportedly rece..
Matt M. Miller | Contributor
Authorities in Sri Lanka reportedly received warnings of possible domestic Islamic terror attacks 2 weeks before the Easter church bombings occurred Sunday, killing nearly 300 Christians.
Sri Lankan Health Minister Rajitha Senaratne says that international intelligence agencies warned Sri Lankan authorities several times of possible attacks in early April, the Guardian reported Monday.
“Fourteen days before these incidents occurred, we had been informed about these incidents,” Senaratne told a press conference in Colombo on Monday.
He claimed that the chief of national intelligence in the country wrote to the police chief April 9 with a warning about a potential attack that included the name of the terror group responsible — National Thowfeek Jaamath. (RELATED: Sri Lanka Blames Easter Bombings On Local Jihadis)
“On 9 April, the chief of national intelligence wrote a letter and in this letter many of the names of the members of the terrorist organisation were written down,” Senaratne continued.
People who live near the church that was attacked yesterday, leave their houses as the military try to defuse a suspected van before it exploded in Colombo, Sri Lanka April 22, 2019. REUTERS/Dinuka Liyanawatte
National Thowfeek Jaamath is a recently formed terror organization in Sri Lanka known for its strong anti-Buddhist sentiment and alignment with the global Jihadist cause, according to the Guardian.
On April 11, police reportedly contacted the heads of security of the judiciary and diplomatic security division, alerting them to the warnings they received. There is allegedly no evidence that any preventative action was taken after. (RELATED: A River Of Blood: Coordinated Church Bombings Leave More Than 200 Dead In Sri Lanka)
