- Suspects in the Sri Lanka Easter Sunday bombing are in a shootout with the military, a military spokesperson has said.
- The military went to investigate an explosion in Ampara Sainthamaruthu, eastern Sri Lanka, and were fired upon at the scene.
- The military were already conducting a search for suspects in the area when the blast happened.
- Local media report police have now found a large bomb-making facility, which contained ISIS flags and bomb-making equipment.
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People suspected of orchestrating the Sri Lanka Easter bombings are in a shoot out with the military, a spokesperson for the country’s armed forces said.
Soldiers went in to investigate an explosion in the town of Ampara Sainthamaruthu, Batticaloaeastern, during a search operation, Reuters reported the spokesperson as saying, and were fired upon.
Local Sri Lankan media reports are suggesting the military were searching for a makeshift bomb factory in the town 200 miles from the capital, Colombo.
Footage broadcast concurrently by Sri Lankan media outlet News 1st appears to show piles of bomb-making equipment and flags bearing the mark of the Islamic State under police guard.
News 1st
A stock of explosives, detonators, Islamic State uniforms, and a drone have now been recovered by police, according to Nidahasa News.
Read more: Hundreds of people died in the Sri Lanka Easter Sunday attacks – here are some of their stories
Sri Lankan security forces have been raiding homes across the country in the search for those responsible for the Easter Sunday attacks which killed 253 people.
Sri Lanka’s health ministry on Tuesday said 34 foreigners were killed, including citizens from Bangladesh, China, India, Denmark, Japan, Netherlands, Portugal, Saudi Arabia, Spain, Turkey, the UK, the US, and Australia.
News 1st
The so-called Islamic State has claimed responsibility for the attacks, but the coordinated attacks were first linked to a local militant group, and were the worst the country has seen since the end of its civil war a decade ago.
Sri Lankan police have arrested over 70 suspects in connection with the blasts.
This is a developing news story, check back for updates.
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Source: Business Insider – feedback@businessinsider.com (Bill Bostock)