Sri Lanka attacks likely the work of Islamist militants - experts

JAKARTA/SINGAPORE - Coordinated Easter Sunday bombings at churches and hotels in Sri Lanka bore the hallmarks of militant groups Islamic State or al Qaeda, security experts said on Monday, citing the level of sophistication of the attacks.

"These synchronised attacks are out of the ordinary for Sri Lanka. Compared with similar attacks in the Middle East and Southeast Asia, it has the DNA of attacks carried out by Islamic State and al Qaeda," said Alto Labetubun, an anti-terrorism expert who has researched the two groups for a decade. Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe acknowledged on Sunday the government had some prior information about possible attacks on churches involving a little-known Islamist group.

Last year, there were suicide attacks on churches in the Indonesian city of Surabaya and in the town of Jolo in the Philippines this year. Islamic State claimed responsibility for both those attacks. A history of conflict also means it was possible the perpetrators of Sunday's attacks had access to weapons and explosives but it was also likely that foreign actors were involved, they said.

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