The Islamic State on Tuesday claimed responsibility for the suicide bombings targeting churches and luxury hotels in Sri Lanka as the death toll in the Easter Sunday bloodbath touched 321, including 10 Indians, with over 500 injured.
The Islamic State’s claim came as the country held a mass funeral for some of the victims at a sprawling grave near the St Sebastian’s Church in Negombo, around 40 km north of Colombo, where mourners struggled to hold back their tears.
An Arabic language statement on the group’s official al-Amaq news agency made the claim on the encrypted messaging app, saying the suicide bombers were “fighters of the Islamic State”.