Sri Lanka: 15 Bodies Found After Gun Battle Between Police And Suspected Militants
27 April 2019, 15:16 | Updated: 27 April 2019, 15:21
The bodies of 15 people have been discovered following a gun battle between Sri Lankan police and suspected Islamist militants.
The army in Sri Lanka has been involved in a shoot-out with suicide bombers believed to be suspects linked to the Easter Sunday terror attacks, which killed at least 250 people.
Soldiers found 15 bodies, believed to include six children, at a make-shift bomb factory about 200 miles from the capital Colombo.
Authorities say those inside the building set off three explosions and opened fire.
It comes as Catholic leaders cancel Sunday Masses amid fears of further attacks.
Archbishop of Colombo Malcolm Ranjith told reporters that he had seen a leaked security document warning of further attacks.
The Sri Lankan president said police investigating the Easter Sunday bombings are looking for 140 people believed to thought to have links with the Islamic State group.
Maithripala Sirisena said some of those believed to be involved in the attacks had links going back to 2013, and that top defence and police chiefs had not shared intelligence with him about the impending attacks.
Authorities say the suspected leader of those terror attacks, which killed more than 250 people, died in one of the blasts.
Nine bombers co-ordinated blasts targeting churches and hotels, killing 253 people - including eight Britons.
