At least 290 people have been killed and 500 injured by a series of eight explosions targeting churches and hotels in Sri Lanka on Sunday night.
24 people have been arrested, and the defence minister Ruwan Wijewardene said the culprits were religious extremists, but no group has yet claimed responsibility.
The prime minister, Ranil Wickremesinghe, said security services had been “aware of information” of a possible attack up to 10 days ago, and said the government “must look into why adequate precautions were not taken”.
Most of the dead are believed to have been Sri Lankans, but roughly 30 foreign citizen have been confirmed killed, including five Britons, three Indians and one Japanese citizen, and others.
The government has shut down social media and messaging services to prevent the spread of misinformation.
The coordinated attacks began with seven initial explosions – at four hotels and three churches – with another explosion later detonated while suspects fled from police.
Defence minister Wijewardene said suicide bombers were responsible for the majority of the bombings
World leaders including Imran Khan, Jacinda Ardern, Theresa May, Donald Trump, Jean-Claude and Vladimir Putin condemned the attacks.
