Nationwide Curfew Imposed in Sri Lanka After Mosque Attacks

The Sri Lankan government announced on Monday that it had decided to impose a countrywide curfew with immediate effect from 9.00 p.m. local time today till 04.00 am tomorrow.

Army Commander Lieutenant General Mahesh Senanayake said that the military would use maximum power, if necessary, to control the current situation.

Earlier in the day, the Sri Lankan government announced that they had blocked some social media platforms, including Facebook, WhatsApp, and Viber. The decisions come as a number of mosques and Muslim properties have been attacked in a single day in the west of the country.

READ MORE: 100 Indians Among 600 Terror Suspects Deported From Sri Lanka — Report

Following the attacks, police arrested a group of individuals, but people demanded their release.

Threat of More Islamist Militant Attacks Contained - Sri Lanka Army Chief

10 May 2019, 16:47 GMT

On 21 April, Easter Sunday, churches and hotels were targeted in a series of coordinated terrorist suicide bombings in Colombo, Negombo, and Batticaloa. At least 253 people were killed, including 46 foreign nationals, while over 500 others were left injured.

Sri Lankan government officials have confirmed that the seven suicide bombers involved in the attacks were Sri Lankan citizens associated with a Daesh* splinter Islamist group — National Thowheeth Jama'ath (NTJ). The NTJ was previously known for its attacks against Buddhists and Sufis.

*Daesh — a terrorist organisation banned in Russia and a number of other countries