Without giving evidence the Islamic State on Tuesday claimed responsiblity for Sri Lanka Easter Sunday bombings that killed 310 people.
Earlier, the Sri Lankan deputy defense minister said that according to initial investigations by the government, the bombings were intended as retaliation for last month’s attack against Muslims in Christchurch, without providing evidence or explaining where the information came from.
On March 15, a white supremacist gunman opened fire on worshippers in two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand, killing 50 people in what was the country’s worst-ever mass shooting.
“We believe [the massacre] was carried out by an extreme Islamist group as a reprisal to the Christchurch mosque massacre in New Zealand,” State Minister for Defense Ruwan Wijewardene said in a statement to parliament.
The Islamic State has claimed responsibility for coordinated bombings in Sri Lanka, the group’s AMAQ news agency said on Tuesday, providing no evidence to the claim.
