Sri Lankan Police Chief Pujuth Jayasundara alerted top officers on 11 April that radical Islamists were planning to hit prominent churches, AFP reports, citing the corresponding warning.
"A foreign intelligence agency has reported that the NTJ (National Thowheeth Jama'ath) is planning to carry out suicide attacks targeting prominent churches as well as the Indian high commission in Colombo", it reportedly read.
The NTJ is a radical Muslim group in Sri Lanka that came into the spotlight after it was linked to vandalism of Buddhist monuments in the country, where Buddhism is the predominant religion.
READ MORE: LIVE UPDATES: Blasts at Sri Lanka Churches & Hotels Kill 185, Wound 500 (PHOTOS)
On Easter Sunday, eight blasts ripped through the country’s biggest city Colombo and nearby towns, hitting several hotels and churches during mass. The latest reports say that the blasts killed at least 185 people and injured 500 more. Some 35 victims are foreigners, including British, Dutch, and American citizens. The source in the police told AP that authorities suspect at least two of the blasts were caused by suicide bombers.
