Kamis, 25 April 2019

UK warns against all but essential Sri Lanka travel - BBC News

The UK is advising against all but essential travel to Sri Lanka after the Easter Sunday bombings in which more than 350 people died.

The Foreign Office says terrorists are very likely to try to carry out indiscriminate attacks there, including in places visited by foreigners.

Eight Britons were among those killed by suicide bombers at churches and top-end hotels in the Sri Lankan capital Colombo, Negombo and Batticaloa.

More than 500 people were injured.

BBC diplomatic correspondent James Robbins said the government was now talking to the travel industry about helping the 8,000 British tourists believed to be in Sri Lanka if they decide they want to cut short their visits.

The Foreign Office has issued advice to any Britons still in Sri Lanka:

  • Remain vigilant, keep up to date with developments and follow the advice of local security authorities and hotel security staff
  • Keep a low profile, avoid crowded public places, large gatherings (including religious gatherings and places of worship) and any demonstrations.
  • Avoid travelling during periods of curfew (other than to or from the airport)
  • Keep in touch with family and friends and make them aware of any plans you may have

Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt said he hoped to be able to change the advice once the current security operation had concluded.

"My first priority will always be the security of British citizens living and travelling abroad.

"We all hope the situation will return to normal very soon, and that the Sri Lankan tourism industry is able to get back on its feet following the terrorist attacks.

"We will do all we can to help the Sri Lankan authorities in the meantime," he added.

Among the victims of Sunday's bombings were Anita Nicholson and her children Annabel, 11, and Alex, 14, who were visiting Sri Lanka on holiday from their home in Singapore.

Dr Sally Bradley and William Harrop were also on holiday from western Australia where they were living.

London siblings Daniel, 19, and Amelie Linsey, 15, died after their father tried to rescue them from one of the bombings.

And IT director Lorraine Campbell, 55, from Greater Manchester, was staying at Colombo's Cinnamon Grand Hotel on a business trip when she died.

A team of family liaison officers has been sent to Sri Lanka to support the families of British victims and help repatriate the deceased.

Have you cancelled plans to travel to Sri Lanka? Are you in Sri Lanka? Please share your experience by emailing haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk

Please include a contact number if you are willing to speak to a BBC journalist. You can also contact us in the following ways:

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https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-48057838

2019-04-25 15:09:33Z
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Sri Lanka suicide bomber was previously arrested and then released - CNN

Ilham Ahmed Ibrahim -- one of two sons of a spice tycoon who blew themselves up in Sunday's attacks -- detonated a device at the Cinnamon Grand hotel in Colombo, the official told CNN.
"It was the suicide bomber of the Cinnamon Grand bomb attack who was released earlier," the official said.
Ilham Ahmed Ibrahim and his brother Imsath Ahmed Ibrahim were previously identified as two of the suicide bombers in Sunday's attacks, which left at least 359 people dead across the country.
Live updates: The latest on Sri Lanka's investigation
Police have confirmed to CNN that they are holding the brothers' father, Mohamed Yusuf Ibrahim, a wealthy spice trader, on suspicion of aiding and abetting his sons.
Police spokesman Ruwan Gunasekera said the elder Ibrahim was in custody, as were all other members of the Ibrahim family known to police.
CNN has not been able to reach Mohamed Yusuf Ibrahim or other members of his family for comment.
In an interview with CNN, Sri Lanka's Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe said the suspected bombers were upper and middle class, well-educated and educated abroad, a profile he described as "surprising." He added that several of them were under surveillance ahead of the attacks, but that there had not been "sufficient" evidence to take them into custody.
Spice trader Mohamed Ibrahim, center, looks on as his son Imsath, right, shakes the hand of a government minister, in a 2016 photo.
Meanwhile, a huge international criminal investigation is ramping up in Sri Lanka, with six foreign police agencies and Interpol assisting local police, including Scotland Yard from the UK and the FBI from the US.
Gunasekera told CNN that officers from Sri Lanka's Criminal Investigation Department (CID) and Terrorism Investigation Department (TID) have raided five safe houses across the country in connection with Sunday's attacks. Those locations have since been sealed for forensic investigation.
More than 70 suspects have been taken into custody on a range of charges, including suspicion of terrorism, aiding and abetting terrorism and conspiracy to commit terrorism, Gunasekera said. Four high level suspects are being held by TID, and 33 are being held by CID, he added.
Of those arrested, four suspects are female, and all are Muslims. Gunasekera said most of them are family members and friends of the suspected suicide bombers. None of those arrested are foreigners.
Significant raids were carried out on Wednesday night, he added, in which 16 people were arrested at various locations, most near the capital Colombo. Three shotguns and two walkie-talkies were also seized.
A security officer stands guard outside St. Anthony's Shrine where bombing was carried out on Easter Sunday, in Colombo.
As police continue to investigate how a previously little known terror group managed to pull off a huge and coordinated series of attacks, Gunasekera also revealed that police had confirmed that an explosion in the predominantly Muslim area of Kathankudi, in eastern Sri Lanka, in early April was a test run by the terrorists. In that explosion they blew up a motorcycle.
On Thursday, police said search operations were currently underway across Colombo, including the setting up of roadblocks. Police have asked the public not to panic, a police spokesman told CNN.
Sri Lanka remains on high alert and numerous controlled demolitions have been carried out of suspicious packages and vehicles in recent days. However, Gunasekera said that he did not believe the controlled demolitions on Thursday were of actual explosives.
Prime Minister Wickremesinghe warned of the potential for more attacks in the country. In his CNN intevriew, he said authorities were targeting "sleepers" -- terrorists who could activate to initiate another round of attacks.
"Police and security forces are rounding up those involved, but they're also rounding up the sleepers, those used on second and third rounds (of attacks)," he said.

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https://www.cnn.com/2019/04/25/asia/sri-lanka-investigation-arrests-intl/index.html

2019-04-25 13:50:00Z
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Sri Lanka suicide bomber was previously arrested and then released - CNN

Ilham Ahmed Ibrahim -- one of two sons of a spice tycoon who blew themselves up in Sunday's attacks -- detonated a device at the Cinnamon Grand hotel in Colombo, the official told CNN.
"It was the suicide bomber of the Cinnamon Grand bomb attack who was released earlier," the official said.
Ilham Ahmed Ibrahim and his brother Imsath Ahmed Ibrahim were previously identified as two of the suicide bombers in Sunday's attacks, which left at least 359 people dead across the country.
Live updates: The latest on Sri Lanka's investigation
Police have confirmed to CNN that they are holding the brothers' father, Mohamed Yusuf Ibrahim, a wealthy spice trader, on suspicion of aiding and abetting his sons.
Police spokesman Ruwan Gunasekera said the elder Ibrahim was in custody, as were all other members of the Ibrahim family known to police.
CNN has not been able to reach Mohamed Yusuf Ibrahim or other members of his family for comment.
In an interview with CNN, Sri Lanka's Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe said the suspected bombers were upper and middle class, well-educated and educated abroad, a profile he described as "surprising." He added that several of them were under surveillance ahead of the attacks, but that there had not been "sufficient" evidence to take them into custody.
Spice trader Mohamed Ibrahim, center, looks on as his son Imsath, right, shakes the hand of a government minister, in a 2016 photo.
Meanwhile, a huge international criminal investigation is ramping up in Sri Lanka, with six foreign police agencies and Interpol assisting local police, including Scotland Yard from the UK and the FBI from the US.
Gunasekera told CNN that officers from Sri Lanka's Criminal Investigation Department (CID) and Terrorism Investigation Department (TID) have raided five safe houses across the country in connection with Sunday's attacks. Those locations have since been sealed for forensic investigation.
More than 70 suspects have been taken into custody on a range of charges, including suspicion of terrorism, aiding and abetting terrorism and conspiracy to commit terrorism, Gunasekera said. Four high level suspects are being held by TID, and 33 are being held by CID, he added.
Of those arrested, four suspects are female, and all are Muslims. Gunasekera said most of them are family members and friends of the suspected suicide bombers. None of those arrested are foreigners.
Significant raids were carried out on Wednesday night, he added, in which 16 people were arrested at various locations, most near the capital Colombo. Three shotguns and two walkie-talkies were also seized.
A security officer stands guard outside St. Anthony's Shrine where bombing was carried out on Easter Sunday, in Colombo.
As police continue to investigate how a previously little known terror group managed to pull off a huge and coordinated series of attacks, Gunasekera also revealed that police had confirmed that an explosion in the predominantly Muslim area of Kathankudi, in eastern Sri Lanka, in early April was a test run by the terrorists. In that explosion they blew up a motorcycle.
On Thursday, police said search operations were currently underway across Colombo, including the setting up of roadblocks. Police have asked the public not to panic, a police spokesman told CNN.
Sri Lanka remains on high alert and numerous controlled demolitions have been carried out of suspicious packages and vehicles in recent days. However, Gunasekera said that he did not believe the controlled demolitions on Thursday were of actual explosives.

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https://www.cnn.com/2019/04/25/asia/sri-lanka-investigation-arrests-intl/index.html

2019-04-25 12:15:00Z
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Sri Lanka suicide bomber was previously arrested and then released, government says - CNN

Ilham Ahmed Ibrahim -- one of two sons of a spice tycoon who blew themselves up in Sunday's attacks -- detonated a device at the Cinnamon Grand hotel in Colombo, Sudarshana Gunawardana said.
"It was the suicide bomber of the Cinnamon Grand bomb attack who was released earlier," Gunawardana said.
Ilham Ahmed Ibrahim and his brother Imsath Ahmed Ibrahim were previously identified as two of the suicide bombers in Sunday's attacks, which left at least 359 people dead across the country.
Live updates: The latest on Sri Lanka's investigation
Police have confirmed to CNN that they are holding the brothers' father, Mohamed Yusuf Ibrahim, a wealthy spice trader, on suspicion of aiding and abetting his sons.
Police spokesman Ruwan Gunasekera said the elder Ibrahim was in custody, as were all other members of the Ibrahim family known to police.
CNN has not been able to reach Mohamed Yusuf Ibrahim or other members of his family for comment.
In an interview with CNN, Sri Lanka's Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe said the suspected bombers were upper and middle class, well-educated and educated abroad, a profile he described as "surprising." He added that several of them were under surveillance ahead of the attacks, but that there had not been "sufficient" evidence to take them into custody.
Spice trader Mohamed Ibrahim, center, looks on as his son Imsath, right, shakes the hand of a government minister, in a 2016 photo.
Meanwhile, a huge international criminal investigation is ramping up in Sri Lanka, with six foreign police agencies and Interpol assisting local police, including Scotland Yard from the UK and the FBI from the US.
Gunasekera told CNN that officers from Sri Lanka's Criminal Investigation Department (CID) and Terrorism Investigation Department (TID) have raided five safe houses across the country in connection with Sunday's attacks. Those locations have since been sealed for forensic investigation.
More than 70 suspects have been taken into custody on a range of charges, including suspicion of terrorism, aiding and abetting terrorism and conspiracy to commit terrorism, Gunasekera said. Four high level suspects are being held by TID, and 33 are being held by CID, he added.
Of those arrested, four suspects are female, and all are Muslims. Gunasekera said most of them are family members and friends of the suspected suicide bombers. None of those arrested are foreigners.
Significant raids were carried out on Wednesday night, he added, in which 16 people were arrested at various locations, most near the capital Colombo. Three shotguns and two walkie-talkies were also seized.
A security officer stands guard outside St. Anthony's Shrine where bombing was carried out on Easter Sunday, in Colombo.
As police continue to investigate how a previously little known terror group managed to pull off a huge and coordinated series of attacks, Gunasekera also revealed that police had confirmed that an explosion in the predominantly Muslim area of Kathankudi, in eastern Sri Lanka, in early April was a test run by the terrorists. In that explosion they blew up a motorcycle.
On Thursday, police said search operations were currently underway across Colombo, including the setting up of roadblocks. Police have asked the public not to panic, a police spokesman told CNN.
Sri Lanka remains on high alert and numerous controlled demolitions have been carried out of suspicious packages and vehicles in recent days. However, Gunasekera said that he did not believe the controlled demolitions on Thursday were of actual explosives.

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https://www.cnn.com/2019/04/25/asia/sri-lanka-investigation-arrests-intl/index.html

2019-04-25 10:57:00Z
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Sri Lanka attacks: Who were the bombers? - BBC News

Media playback is unsupported on your device

Two of the nine bombers in Sri Lanka were the sons of a wealthy and well-known spice trader, local police sources have told the BBC.

All but one of the nine have been identified and most came from "middle or upper middle class" families.

UK officials have told the BBC they think it is highly likely that the Islamic State group (IS) was linked to the bombings - but it remains unclear whether it inspired, planned or directed the attacks.

Some 32 Sri Lankan nationals are known to have joined IS in Iraq and Syria.

As the sweeping investigation into the Easter Sunday bombings - which hit churches and hotels, killing 359 people - continues, here is what we know about the suspects.

Spice trader's sons

Two of the bombers were the sons of spice trader Mohammad Yusuf Ibrahim who is based in the Sri Lankan capital, Colombo.

One of them detonated his explosives at the city's Shangri-La hotel while breakfast was being served. The other targeted the restaurant at the high-end Cinnamon Grand hotel which is a short distance away.

Their father has been arrested and is now in custody.

His daughter-in-law detonated explosives during a police raid at the family's villa on Sunday, apparently to avoid arrest.

Several people, including children and police officers, were reportedly killed in that blast.

The family's wealthy background matches the description of the attackers given by the authorities.

"They are financially quite independent and their families are quite stable financially," Deputy Defence Minister Ruwan Wijewardene said at a press conference on Wednesday.

Former student

One of the attackers studied in the UK, officials say.

Abdul Latif Jamil Mohammed visited south-east England in 2006-7 to study but did not complete a full university degree, a senior Whitehall official told the BBC.

He reportedly studied aerospace engineering at Kingston University.

He later studied in Australia before returning to Sri Lanka.

"I can confirm the suicide bomber had been in Australia," the country's prime minister, Scott Morrison, said on Thursday. "They departed in early 2013."

He added: "They had a spouse and child visa at that time as well but they had not returned to the country."

Suspected ringleader

Islamist preacher Zahran Hashim is suspected of being the bombers' ringleader. Police do not know whether he detonated one of the suicide bombs or is still at large.

An IS video that was released after the group said it had carried out the attacks appears to feature him prominently.

In the video, he can reportedly be seen pledging allegiance to the group's leader, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.

The UK government believes it is highly likely IS were linked to the bombings although the full extent of the group's role is not clear, officials have told the BBC.

Sri Lanka's Muslim community have said they warned the authorities about Mr Hashim for years prior to the attacks.

"This person was a loner and he had radicalised young people," Hilmy Ahamed, vice-president of the Muslim Council of Sri Lanka, told AFP news agency,

"Nobody thought these people were capable of carrying out an attack of such magnitude," he added.

Mr Hashim's sister told the BBC: "I came to know about his actions only through the media. Even for a moment, I never thought that he would do such a thing.

"I strongly deplore what he has done. Even if he is my brother, I cannot accept this. I'm not worried about him anymore."

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https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-48049149

2019-04-25 11:08:48Z
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Prince William meets Christchurch attack survivors in New Zealand - BBC News

The Duke of Cambridge has met survivors of the Christchurch mosque attacks, in which 50 people were killed in March.

The duke also met some of the officers and medics who were among the first at the scene of the shootings.

He got a traditional Maori greeting from New Zealand's PM Jacinda Arden at the start of his two-day tour.

Meanwhile, the Duke of Sussex will join the Duchess of Cambridge at an Anzac Day service at Westminster Abbey later, Buckingham Palace has confirmed.

Anzac Day commemorates the military veterans of Australia and New Zealand.

Prince William performed a hongi with Ms Ardern as he was welcomed in Auckland, before attending a service there.

He also met four-year-old Alen Alsati - who was injured in the attack and awoke from a coma earlier this week - at Starship Children's Hospital.

He then travelled to Christchurch, where he asked officers and medics about how they had put their training into practice.

"Nothing really trains you for seeing it in real life", said the duke, who has spent time as a pilot with the air ambulance service in East Anglia.

"I'm sure the team pulls together," he said.

New Zealand police commissioner Mike Bush said the "emotion was palpable" during the visit and the duke was concerned with how those involved were coping a month on from the attacks.

"His main piece of advice was to talk to each other, to not bottle things up - to support each other to talk about what they saw and what they do afterwards," he said.

At the police headquarters, dozens of messages from the people of Christchurch were pinned up along the corridors, thanking officers for their work after the shootings.

Among them was a card that said: "You never give up and you never ever will give up trying to save NZ."

Prince William is travelling on behalf of the Queen at the request of Ms Ardern.

She said the visit would "bring comfort" as the duke had a "close connection" with New Zealand and Christchurch in particular.

"His visit provides the opportunity to pay tribute to those affected by the mosque terrorist attacks and show support to the local and national community," she said.

William offered prayers for the Christchurch community and described the attacks as a "cruel nightmare".

Media playback is unsupported on your device

Anzac Day marks the anniversary of the first major military action fought by the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (Anzac) in World War One.

And Kensington Palace said the duke would "pay tribute to the extraordinary compassion and solidarity" displayed by New Zealanders following the attacks.

It is not the first time he has visited Christchurch in the wake of a tragedy.

In 2011, he attended a memorial service after an earthquake killed 185 people.

In a speech that day, he said: "My grandmother once said that grief is the price we pay for love. Here today, we love and we grieve."

The Duke and the Duchess of Cambridge also visited New Zealand in 2014, on their first official tour.

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https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-48040394

2019-04-25 10:30:00Z
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Sri Lanka suicide bomber was previously arrested and then released, government says - CNN

Ilham Ahmed Ibrahim -- one of two sons of a spice tycoon who blew themselves up in Sunday's attacks -- detonated a device at the Cinnamon Grand hotel in Colombo, Sudarshana Gunawardana said.
"It was the suicide bomber of the Cinnamon Grand bomb attack who was released earlier," Gunawardana said.
Ilham Ahmed Ibrahim and his brother Imsath Ahmed Ibrahim were previously identified as two of the suicide bombers in Sunday's attacks, which left at least 359 people dead across the country.
Police have confirmed to CNN that they are holding the brothers' father, Mohamed Yusuf Ibrahim, a wealthy spice trader, on suspicion of aiding and abetting his sons.
Police spokesman Ruwan Gunasekera said the elder Ibrahim was is in custody, as are all other members of the Ibrahim family police are aware of in the country.
CNN has not been able to reach Mohamed Yusuf Ibrahim or other members of his family for comment.
In an interview with CNN, Sri Lanka's Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe said the suspected bombers were upper and middle class, well-educated and educated abroad, a profile he described as "surprising." He added that several of them were under surveillance ahead of the attacks, but that there had not been "sufficient" evidence to take them into custody.
Spice trader Mohamed Ibrahim, center, looks on as his son Imsath, right, shakes the hand of a government minister, in a 2016 photo.
Meanwhile, a huge international criminal investigation is ramping up in Sri Lanka, with six foreign police agencies and Interpol assisting local police, including Scotland Yard from the UK and the FBI from the US.
Gunasekera told CNN that officers from Sri Lanka's Criminal Investigation Department (CID) and Terrorism Investigation Department (TID) have raided five safe houses across the country in connection with Sunday's attacks. Those locations have since been sealed for forensic investigation.
More than 70 suspects have been taken into custody on a range of charges, including suspicion of terrorism, aiding and abetting terrorism and conspiracy to commit terrorism, Gunasekera said. Four high level suspects are being held by TID, and 33 are being held by CID, he added.
Of those arrested, four suspects are female, and all are Muslims. Gunasekera said most of them are family members and friends of the suspected suicide bombers. None of those arrested are foreigners.
Significant raids were carried out on Wednesday night, he added, in which 16 people were arrested at various locations, most near the capital Colombo. Three shotguns and two walkie-talkies were also seized.
A security officer stands guard outside St. Anthony's Shrine where bombing was carried out on Easter Sunday, in Colombo.
As police continue to investigate how a previously little known terror group managed to pull off a huge and coordinated series of attacks, Gunasekera also revealed that police had confirmed that an explosion in the predominantly Muslim area of Kathankudi, in eastern Sri Lanka, in early April was a test run by the terrorists. In that explosion they blew up a motorcycle.
On Thursday, police said search operations were currently underway across Colombo, including the setting up of roadblocks. Police have asked the public not to panic, a police spokesman told CNN.
Sri Lanka remains on high alert and numerous controlled demolitions have been carried out of suspicious packages and vehicles in recent days. However, Gunasekera said that he did not believe the controlled demolitions on Thursday were of actual explosives.

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https://www.cnn.com/2019/04/25/asia/sri-lanka-investigation-arrests-intl/index.html

2019-04-25 09:56:00Z
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