Colombo: Authorities in Sri Lanka continued their search operations with the help of army and arrested 16 more suspects in connection with the horrific Easter Sunday blasts in which more than 350 people were killed.
The arrested people were being interrogated at length by investigation sleuths in connection with the country’s deadliest attack.
Nine suicide bombers, believed to be the members of a local Islamist extremist group National Thowheed Jamath (NTJ), carried out a series of devastating blasts that tore through three churches and three luxury hotels.
As many as 359 people have been killed in the attacks while 500 others injured, according to authorities.
Officials said that with the arrest of 16 more people on Wednesday, the total number of suspects under police custody has risen to 76.
Many of the arrested people have suspected links to the NTJ, the group blamed for the bombings. However, the NTJ has not claimed responsibility for the attacks.
The Islamic State has claimed responsibility for the attacks and identified suicide bombers who carried out the devastating blasts.
Authorities have deployed thousands of troops to help police carry out search operations.
Over 5,000 army personnel have been deployed around the country.
“During the last 24 hours, there have been no major incidents. We have deployed over 6,300 troops. This includes 1,000 from the Airforce and 600 from the Navy,” military spokesman Brigadier Sumith Atapattu said.
Meanwhile, a minor explosion happened behind the magistrate’s court at Pugoda, the western province town, 40 Kms north of Colombo. There was no immediate report of any casualty.
