1、CRS INSIGHT Prepared for Members and Committees of Congress INSIGHTINSIGHTi i Sri Lankas 2019 Easter Bombings Bruce Vaughn Specialist in Asian Affairs April 24, 2019 The Attack A series of Easter Sunday bombings in Sri Lanka claimed over 350 lives and left over 500 injured. At least 38 of the dead a
2、re foreigners, including four Americans. The bombings targeted churches in the capital Colombo, as well as Negombo, and Batticaloa. The Shangri-la, Cinnamon Grand, and Kingsbury Hotels in Colombo were also targeted. A planned attack on a fourth hotel failed and reportedly helped police identify the
3、perpetrators of the attacks. The attacks were carried out by nine Sri Lankan suicide bombers and are the worst violence to strike Sri Lanka since the 2009 end of its civil war between government forces and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). Sri Lankan officials have declared that the attac
4、ks were carried out by National Thowheeth Jamaath (NTJ), a little-known Sri Lankan Islamist terrorist group. The scale, coordination, and targets of the attack have led some observers to suggest possible linkages with the Islamic State (IS), a view enhanced by video of the suspected leader of the at
