Gunman fires at Sri Lanka church ahead of Easter bombings anniversary
The Hindu
Sri Lanka on high alert after gunman targets church, suspect arrested, security heightened for Easter celebrations.
A gunman fired at a church in Sri Lanka, police said Saturday (April 19, 2025), with the country on high alert six years since Easter Sunday bombings killed hundreds.
The gunman opened fire Friday at a church in Manampitiya, 160 kilometres (100 miles) northeast of the capital Colombo, a police statement said.
The shooting damaged windows and no one was hurt, while a suspect has been arrested, police said.
“Initial investigations suggest that the suspect had targeted the church due to a personal enmity with the pastor,” the statement said.
Armed police and troops have been deployed to nearly all churches nationwide during Easter celebrations, with security heightened following the 2019 attack.
Suicide bombers in 2019 killed 279 people, including 45 foreigners, at three churches and three hotels.
More than 500 people were wounded in the attack, which officials blamed on a home-grown Islamist group.
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