The explosions, some of which officials said were suicide bomb attacks, led to an immediate clampdown, with the government declaring a curfew and blocking access to most major social media and messaging sites.More than 50 people were killed in St. Sebastian's gothic-style Catholic church in Katuwapitiya, north of Colombo, a police official told Reuters, with pictures showing bodies on the ground, blood on the pews and a destroyed roof.
The first six explosions were all reported within a short period in the morning just as church services were starting.Early in the afternoon, police reported there had been two more explosions. One was at a hotel near the national zoo in the Dehiwela area near Colombo. Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe called a national security council meeting at his home for later in the day.
President Maithripala Sirisena said he had ordered the police special task force and military to investigate who was behind the attacks and their agenda. Last year, there were 86 verified incidents of discrimination, threats and violence against Christians, according to the National Christian Evangelical Alliance of Sri Lanka , which represents more than 200 churches and other Christian organisations.
In its 2018 report on Sri Lanka's human rights, the U.S. State Department noted that some Christian groups and churches reported they had been pressured to end worship meetings after authorities classified them as"unauthorized gatherings".
207 people killed as at this point in time... 430 wounded.
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