Sri Lanka's ex-President Sirisena apologises for 2019 Easter Sunday bombings
The Hindu
A series of blasts tore through three Catholic churches and luxury hotels on April 21, 2019, killing nearly 270 people and injuring over 500
Sri Lanka’s former President Maithripala Sirisena on January 31 extended an apology to the country's minority Catholic community for the devastating 2019 Easter Sunday bombings that killed over 270 people, including 11 Indians.
Nine suicide bombers belonging to the local Islamist extremist group National Thawheed Jamaat (NTJ) linked to ISIS carried out a series of blasts that tore through three Catholic churches and as many luxury hotels on April 21, 2019, killing nearly 270 people and injuring over 500.
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The bombings triggered a political storm as then-President Sirisena and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe were blamed for their inability to prevent the attacks despite prior intelligence being made available.
"I say sorry to the Catholic community for something done by others,” Mr. Sirisena said while addressing a political group of his Freedom Party in Colombo.
His apology came weeks after the Supreme Court on January 12 ordered him to pay LKR 100 million (roughly ₹2.2 crores) as compensation to the victims. His failure to pay the victims would send him to jail on contempt of court charges.
Mr. Sirisena, the Sri Lankan President from 2015 to 2019, also said he would contest the next presidential election due in 2024.
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