200+ dead in Sri Lanka Easter bombing

[David S.]

https://www.wral.com/explosions-hit-2-churches-in-sri-lanka-on-easter-sunday/18338621/

COLOMBO, SRI LANKA — At least 207 people were killed and hundreds more wounded in eight bomb blasts that rocked churches and luxury hotels in or near Sri Lanka's capital on Easter Sunday — the deadliest violence the South Asian island country has seen since a bloody civil war ended a decade ago.

[J0hnny]

“Some people did something”

[Chance]

From BBC News (https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-48001720):


At least 207 people have been killed and 450 hurt in explosions at churches and hotels in Sri Lanka, police say.

Eight blasts were reported, including at three churches in Negombo, Batticaloa and Colombo's Kochchikade district during Easter services.

The Shangri-La, Kingsbury and Cinnamon Grand luxury hotels, all in the capital, were also targeted.

....

Robert Tyler, who has lived in Sri Lanka for six years, told the BBC that at least two of the hotels appeared to have had their restaurants targeted at a busy time for breakfast.

Two further explosions were reported as police tried to find those involved. One blast hit near the zoo in Dehiwala, southern Colombo, and an eighth was reported near the Colombo district of Dematagoda during a police raid, killing three officers.


37496

[feudist]

“Some people did something”

Who could it be and what could their motive be?

:mad:

[revchuck38]

Who could it be and what could their motive be?

:mad:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vtSmfws0_To

[J0hnny]

Who could it be and what could their motive be?

:mad:

Apologies for the drive by post, but it's a reference to Ilhan Omar's recent comment regarding 9/11.

[feudist]

Apologies for the drive by post, but it's a reference to Ilhan Omar's recent comment regarding 9/11.

I got it. Mine was snarking on the usual media downplay.

[Drang]

While I agree with those who say we shouldn't leap to blame Muslim extremists when these things happen...

U.S., India Warned Sri Lanka Weeks Before Easter Terror Attacks - WSJ (https://www.wsj.com/articles/sri-lanka-makes-arrests-in-easter-bombing-attacks-11555918580)

Sri Lanka government officials said some of the suicide bombers and others arrested were linked to an obscure radical Islamist group known as National Thowheeth Jamath, a group the government singled out to police for monitoring as a possible threat after the foreign security services issued their warning.
This is new for Sri Lanka, where the fighting was between Hindus and Tamils.
Unconfirmed reports blame Zahran Hashim for Sri Lanka attack. Who is he? - World News - Jerusalem Post (https://www.jpost.com/International/Who-is-Moulvi-Zahran-Hashim-mastermind-of-one-of-the-Sri-Lanka-attacks-587544)

Sri Lanka on edge after local Islamic militant group blamed for Easter Sunday attacks: report | Fox News (https://www.foxnews.com/world/7-suicide-attackers-behind-sri-lankan-bombings-13-suspects-in-custody-authorities-say)

So far as I can tell at this time, though, the link does not seem established definitively {edit}, although Sri Lankan officials have stated that

“We have found that NTJ was involved in the attacks,” said Rajitha Senaratne, a government spokesman and the country’s health commissioner, using an abbreviation for what he called “a local organization.”

While Mr. Senaratne said the government didn’t know of links to an international terror group, he said: “We do not believe these attacks were carried out by a group of people who were confined to this country.”

“There was an international network without which these attacks could not have occurred,” he added

[Chance]

The death toll has been raised to 321 with approximately 500 wounded. Forty people have been arrested.

[willie]

We must factor in the 26 year civil war that occurred there. Certainly there is hatred between groups that may never subside. I'm reminded of the Balkans. Some may not know that this country was the former British colony(Ceylon) having gained independence in 1948.

[Chance]

From NBC News (https://www.nbcnews.com/news/amp/ncna997391):


Sri Lanka’s minister of defense said the coordinated Easter Sunday attacks that killed at least 321 people were retaliation for the recent Christchurch mosque massacre in New Zealand.

“Extremist group named National Thowheed Jamaath carried out Sunday's terror attacks in response to terror attacks in Christchurch," Defense Minister Ruwan Wijewardene said.

....

Wijewardene offered little evidence to support the link between the two attacks, not revealing his source.

New Zealand officials said they are not able to confirm this connection.

“New Zealand has not yet seen any intelligence upon which such an assessment might be based,” the office of New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said in a statement, adding that investigation is only in its "early stages."

[TAZ]

We must factor in the 26 year civil war that occurred there. Certainly there is hatred between groups that may never subside. I'm reminded of the Balkans. Some may not know that this country was the former British colony(Ceylon) having gained independence in 1948.

Not familiar with the issues in SL, but is this raging civil war based upon religious lines?


From NBC News (https://www.nbcnews.com/news/amp/ncna997391):

Yeah, I’ll m sure it’s cause Christchurch, not cause crazy.

[TGS]

Not familiar with the issues in SL, but is this raging civil war based upon religious lines?

Not really.

The Tamils are more Hindu, the Sinhalese more Buddhist. Christians in both.

It's an ethnic division, not necessarily a religious division. The "official" civil war was 20+ years or so, but the practical civil war/violence goes back way longer and has its roots in the majorly Sinhalese government trying to treat the Tamils as second class citizens.

In any case, even if it were a religious war, it's not Christians vs Muslims to begin with.

ETA: While there might be a division roughly along religious lines, it's more apt to compare it to the Central African Republics civil war or the oppression of the Rohinga in Myanmar. All three situations are rooted in unfair power distribution and are drawn along religious lines due to tribal ethnicity, but aren't necessarily religious wars like you see with ISIS, Taliban, Boko Haram, etc.

[RevolverRob]

ISIS has claimed responsibility for the attacks. (https://www.nytimes.com/2019/04/23/world/asia/sri-lanka-bombing.html)

[TCinVA]

ISIS has claimed responsibility for the attacks. (https://www.nytimes.com/2019/04/23/world/asia/sri-lanka-bombing.html)

Sri Lankan authorities fingered islamic extremists yesterday, IIRC. Their problems with islamists have grown considerably in the last few years.

Given the relatively high number of westerners in the area and the religious observance it's an inviting target for islamists.

[JDD]

Not really.

The Tamils are more Hindu, the Sinhalese more Buddhist. Christians in both.

It's an ethnic division, not necessarily a religious division. The "official" civil war was 20+ years or so, but the practical civil war/violence goes back way longer and has its roots in the majorly Sinhalese government trying to treat the Tamils as second class citizens.

In any case, even if it were a religious war, it's not Christians vs Muslims to begin with.

ETA: While there might be a division roughly along religious lines, it's more apt to compare it to the Central African Republics civil war or the oppression of the Rohinga in Myanmar. All three situations are rooted in unfair power distribution and are drawn along religious lines due to tribal ethnicity, but aren't necessarily religious wars like you see with ISIS, Taliban, Boko Haram, etc.

Another point for clarity:

Even the Boko's and the ISIS and the AQ conflicts are not strictly religious in the traditional faith#1 vs faith#2 sense. The overarching justification has a flavor of religion, but many of the operations that ISIS-WA, JNIM, and AQIM are carrying out are against populations or governments that are primarily Islamic. A very poor analogy would be to compare some of what is going on in western africa to the troubles in northern ireland, but with a few extra countries, crippling poverty, and a whole mess of different tribal and cultural groups.

[Chance]

The death toll has been lowered by roughly 100 to "about 253," according to BBC News. Some variety of calculation error.