Colombo: Sri Lankan government has banned three Islamist extremist groups, including the National Thowheeth Jama’ath (NTJ) that carried out the country’s worth terror attack on Easter Sunday in which over 250 people were killed.
President Maithripala Sirisena issued an extraordinary gazette and banned a number of extremist organisations on Monday. He also prohibited the use of drones in the country until further notice.
According to the Gazette the National Thowheed Jamaath (NTJ), the Jamaathe Millaathe Ibrahim (JMI), and the Willayath As Seylani (WAS) organisations have been banned.
On April 21, nine suicide bombers, including a woman, carried out a series of devastating blasts that tore through three churches and as many luxury hotels, killing 258 people, including 44 foreigners, 10 of them being Indians, and injuring over 500 others.
Following the bombing, anti-Muslim attacks sprouted in at least districts of the island country which resulted in a 45-year old man’s death and destruction of public property. Sri Lanka police arrested dozens and remanded nearly 30 persons for causing the riots and the consequent death.
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Ms Kalinga