The Islamic State (ISIS) has on Tuesday claimed responsibility for the devastating Easter bombings. This came after an official in the country said the preliminary investigation into the attacks showed it was “retaliation” for the massacre of Muslims at mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand.
The coordinated bombings on Sunday, targeting churches and hotels in and around the Sri Lankan capital, killed more than 320 people.
Two days after the coordinated attacks, the group’s news agency, Amaq, released a bulletin on Tuesday stating that the attacks were carried out by “Islamic State fighters.”
The statement, which was disseminated on the group’s chat rooms on the app Telegram, also said that the bombings targeted Christians as well as citizens of countries belonging to the coalition fighting the Islamic State, also known as ISIS.
The group’s wording did not make clear whether it had direct ties to the bombers, or if the attackers were heeding the Islamic State’s calls for Muslims to attack in their home countries. The group has repeatedly called for assaults on churches, particularly since the New Zealand mosque attacks.
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Whatever the links, the claim suggests that the recapture of territory once held by ISIS in Syria and Iraq does not mean the group is no longer a threat.
Yetunde Adegoke
