ISIS have claimed responsibility for the Sri Lanka bombings which officials believe were 'retaliation' for the Christchurch mosque shootings - as it was revealed an attack on a fourth hotel failed.
'The preliminary investigations have revealed that what happened in Sri Lanka [on Sunday] was in retaliation for the attack against Muslims in Christchurch,' state minister of defence Ruwan Wijewardene told parliament today. White supremacist Brenton Tarrant allegedly slaughtered 50 worshippers at two mosques in the New Zealand city of Christchurch on March 15 while live-streaming the shooting on Facebook. ISIS's AMAQ propaganda agency said earlier today that it was responsible for the blasts. The group, who have previously made a series of unsupported claims, did not provide any evidence. Wijewardene blamed two different local Islamist groups for the co-ordinated suicide bombings which killed at least 321 people, including 45 children on Sunday - but a cabinet spokesman admitted yesterday they believed the attackers were helped by an 'international network'.
The National Thowheed Jamaath (NTJ), who were the subject of an intelligence warning ten days before the devastating blasts, have been named as responsible, raising questions about why more precautions were not taken. Images being circulated by ISIS fanatics reportedly show the suspected leader of the National Thowheed Jamaath, Moulvi Zahran Hashim, pledging allegiance to the so-called Islamic State. The source of the pictures is unclear and they were not released through official ISIS channels. Wijewardene also named another local group, Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen India (JMI). Little is known about JMI, other than reports it was established last year and is affiliated to a similarly named group in Bangladesh. The news comes as it was claimed two sons of a wealthy spice trader played a key role in the Easter Sunday bomb attacks, blowing themselves up as guests queued for breakfast at the Shangri-La and Cinnamon Grand hotels in the capital.
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