The coordinated suicide bombings on three churches, four hotels, and one housing complex on April 21, 2019, Easter Sunday, took place while Masses and religious services were held. The suicide bombers are believed to have been members of radical Islamist groups with ties to the Islamic State. It was the first major terrorist attack in Sri Lanka since the end of the country’s civil war in 2009.
The cardinal said further investigations will be needed “to understand whether those with vested interests did not act on intelligence so as to create chaos and instill fear and uncertainty in the lead up to the presidential election to be held later that same year.”
“There is a sense of frustration people are experiencing. We have many questions, and the entire public is asking for answers. Why is it that those who were recommended for prosecution are not being prosecuted by the legal authorities? There are some areas indicated in the Parliament Committee report for further investigation, but they are not being investigated, why?” the cardinal asked.
Cardinal Ranjith said there are many survivors who still carry the scars, both physical and emotional, of the terrorist attacks.
“A man who lost his wife committed suicide three months ago, leaving his three daughters orphans. Another man who lost his wife and three children was living with his mother-in-law, but he had to leave and he went and slept in the cemetery, where his family is buried. Another woman was a dance teacher, but the explosion left her bedridden. She has a small child, but meanwhile her husband left her. The suffering she is going through is tremendous.”
Cardinal Ranjith, who met with Pope Francis at the Vatican in late February, has consistently been critical of the government’s handling of information prior to the bombing, and of its investigations since.
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