Easter Attacks Leave 207 Dead, Hundreds Injured in Sri Lanka

A series of explosions ripped through the island nation of
Sri Lanka on Easter Sunday, killing 207 people and injuring at least 450 in the
worst terrorist attacks since a lengthy civil war ended a decade ago.

Eight bombs exploded, several of them detonated by suicide
bombers, at luxury hotels, churches, and other locations. In a response by
police and security forces, eight people were
arrested and three
police officers were killed, Reuters and the BBC reported.

Many foreign nationals were among the victims, including several
from the U.S., USA Today reported,
citing U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.

In a statement, Pompeo said, “The United States condemns in
the strongest terms the terror attacks in Sri Lanka on Easter morning. Attacks
on innocent people gathering in a place of worship or enjoying a holiday meal
are affronts to the universal values and freedoms that we hold dear, and
demonstrate yet again the brutal nature of radical terrorists whose sole aim is
to threaten peace and security.”

Sri Lanka Prime Minister Prime Minister Ranil
Wickremsinghe tweeted:
“I strongly condemn the cowardly attacks on our people today. I call upon all
Sri Lankans during this tragic time to remain united and strong. Please avoid
propagating unverified reports and speculation. The government is taking
immediate steps to contain this situation.”

Officials ordered a curfew in the capital city of Colombo
and blocked access to social media sites, including Facebook and WhatsApp,
according to Reuters.

Per
CNN:

The first wave of attacks struck at the heart of the country’s
minority Christian community during busy Easter services at churches in the
cities of Colombo, Negombo and Batticaloa on Sunday morning.

Additional blasts ripped through three high-end hotels, the
Shangri La, Cinnamon Grand and Kingsbury, all in capital city Colombo.

As of this writing, no group had
yet claimed responsibility.

The attacks began at about 8:45 a.m. local time, in the
first of a series of six
explosions. Heavy casualties were reported at St. Anthony’s in the Kochchikade
district of Colombo, and at the Cinnamon Grand, Shangri-La, and Kingsbury hotels.
Later, the Zion Church in Batticaloa and St. Sebastian’s church in Negombo also
were targeted.

Two more blasts occurred near the
Dehiwala Zoo in Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia and at a private house in Mahawila
Gardens, in Dematagoda, according to CNN.

At the conclusion of Easter
Sunday services in Rome, Pope Francis expressed his “loving closeness to
the Christian community, targeted while they were gathered in prayer, and all
the victims of such cruel violence,” the AP reported.

The Archbishop of Colombo, Cardinal
Malcolm Ranjith, called on officials to punish those behind the attack “mercilessly
because only animals can behave like that,” according to USA Today.

After arriving at two bombing
sites, Sri Lanka’s economic reforms minister, Harsha de Silva, described “horrible
scenes,” according to CNN. “We took multiple casualties to hospital. Hopefully
saved many lives,” De Silva said.

The targets appear to have been
the country’s Christian minority, who comprise 7.4% of the population, CNN said.