Sri Lankan Police Detain 5 More People in Connection With Blasts - Reports

The Southeast Asian nation launched a massive security operation in the wake of the tragedy. Addressing the terrorist threat, the Sri Lankan presidential administration declared a state of national emergency starting on Monday at midnight.

Sri Lankan police have arrested five more people in connection with a series of deadly blasts that killed nearly 300 people across the country on Easter Sunday, bringing the total number of detained suspects to 29, News 1st broadcaster reported.

According to News 1st, one of the suspects was detained in a suburb of the capital of Colombo, with police also seizing his means of communication. Four more people were detained in the city of Gampola and in a suburb of Kandy, which is a major city in the central part of the island.

Authorities introduced and then re-introduced a curfew, as well as deployed an extra 1,000 troops in Colombo. The reports come after another explosion allegedly took place on 22 April near St. Anthony’s church in Colombo.

READ MORE: Interpol to Deploy Special Team to Sri Lanka to Probe Recent Deadly Bombings

On Easter Sunday, Sri Lanka was hit by a series of coordinated bombings in churches and hotels in Colombo and other areas. 

Citizens of Denmark, Japan, Pakistan, Morocco, India, Bangladesh, China, the Netherlands, the United States, Turkey, and the United Kingdom were among the victims of the explosions, according to recent data.

The Sri Lankan government has accused the terrorist group Thowheed Jamath of organising the deadly explosions across the country.