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LAST UPDATE | 26 Apr 2019
AN EXTREMIST LEADER at the centre of Sri Lanka’s Easter suicide bombings died in the attacks, the country’s president has said.
The announcement came as security forces today guarded mosques around the country during weekly prayers amid fears of reprisal strikes.
Forces stepped up their searches for Islamists and raided a studio used by them to record a video pledge to Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi before carrying out the deadly Easter attacks.
At least 253 people were killed and hundreds more injured when suicide bombers struck three churches and three luxury hotels earlier this week.
President Maithripala Sirisena told reporters that Zahran Hashim, head of a local extremist group, was killed at one of the Colombo hotels targeted.
“What intelligence agencies have told me is that Zahran was killed during the Shangri-La attack,” he said.
Hashim was accompanied by a second bomber identified as Ilham Ibrahim, Sirisena said.
Authorities had been desperately searching for Hashim after naming his group, National Thowheeth Jama’ath (NTJ), as the perpetrators of the attack.
DNA tests are being done on a severed head to conclusively establish that it is of Hashim’s, officials said, adding they believe the tests will prove positive.
Hashim, who founded the NTJ, appeared in a video released by the Islamic State group when it claimed the strikes. He is seen leading seven others in a pledge of allegiance to Baghdadi.
Police said they found the IS flag, the backdrop and the clothes the men wore for their video in the studio in the town of Sammanthurai, 370km east of the capital.
The discovery came as police and security forces pursued their hunt for Islamic extremists.
There were reports of explosions at another location in the same area where troops and a small group of militants exchanged fire for over an hour, military spokesman brigadier Sumith Atapattu said.
He said there were no fatalities among troops, but the area was still not cleared.
Top police official resigns
Earlier, the country’s top police official, Inspector General of Police (IGP) Pujith Jayasundara, resigned over failures that led to the series of bomb attacks..
The death toll was revised down from the previous figure of 359 yesterday, when officials revealed that some bodies were so badly mutilated that they had been double-counted.
“The IGP has resigned. He has sent his resignation to the acting defence secretary. I’ll nominate a new IGP soon,” Sirisena told reporters today. His resignation follows that of the country’s top defence ministry official, who stepped down yesterday.
The government has been on the defensive over revelations that specific warnings about an attack that were issued weeks in advance were ignored.
Sri Lanka’s police chief warned on 11 April that suicide bombings against “prominent churches” by the local Islamist group National Thowheeth Jama’ath (NTJ) were possible, citing information from a foreign intelligence agency.
CNN reported that Indian intelligence services had passed on “unusually specific” information in the weeks before the attacks, some of it from an IS suspect in their custody.
But that information was not shared with the prime minister or other top ministers, the government has claimed.
“It was a major lapse in the sharing of information,” deputy defence minister Ruwan Wijewardene conceded at a press conference earlier this week.
The minister, who is also the defence and law and order minister, pledged to make “major changes in the leadership of the security forces” yesterday.
Investigators are still piecing information together about the attack and those involved.
Earlier this week, it emerged that one attacker had studied in Britain and did post-graduate studies in Australia before returning to Sri Lanka.
“Most of them are well-educated and come from middle, upper-middle class families, so they are financially quite independent and their families are quite stable financially, that is a worrying factor in this,” the minister added.
- © AFP 2019, with reporting by Stephen McDermott and Órla Ryan
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Imagine PBP and SF in government together? We can only hope they’d fall apart before the place went up in flames.
@honey badger: beyond comedy, not a brain cell between them
@honey badger: FG promising to help the hospitality sector when they just shafted it in the recent budget. And FF promising to enact the Occupied Territories Bill when they’ve stalled it for the last 5 years. But tell me again how it’s all Sinn Féin’s fault!!!
@Anthony Curran: The hospitality sector shafted itself. They didn’t pass on the reduction in Vat to the customer did they? But they were very quick to pass on in increase when the Vat went back to where it should be. I’ve no sympathy for them.
@Anthony Curran: FG wants us now to believe it FF to blame for not reducing the vat rate to 9%, the mud slinging and the blame game has started interesting 21 days ahead.
@Anthony Curran: SF/PIRA killed the tourist and hospitality sector in NI and the border counties for four decades. That was justified until Adams and McGuinness became MLA and took the Queen’s shilling.
@Vincent Alexander: Vincent, that time is long ago, this time is now. Do you need me to explain it again Vincent?
@Vincent Alexander: nothing turns as quick as a shinner for the queens shilling lol
@Anthony Curran: why are there so many pedos in SF?
@honey badger: truly harrowing. Bring back internment for the shinners. Cage the animals
Ms McDonald has insulted to Irish electorate by allowing the back room boys from up North to send down Donnelly ( aka O’Donnghaile ) as leader of The Seanad and Hughes ( “The Surgeon” ) from SouthArmagh to revive SF in Laois. She is a front for a Northern Ireland party.
@Vincent Alexander: SF are a British party we all know that, not a single vote or transfer should they get. Vile
@Vincent Alexander: I think it’s pretty insulting of FFG to be promising lowering the hospitality VAT rate and promising to enact the Occupied Territories Bill when they’ve just f..ked the hospitality sector in the budget a couple of weeks ago and let the Bill gather dust for the last 5 years! Who do they think they’re kidding?!!!
@Anthony Curran: 30 years of PIRA terrorism killed the hospitality sector in the North and border counties for four decades.
@Vincent Alexander: The Brits killed the Irish for over 800 yrs.
@Vincent Alexander: When all you have in reply is but but but….the ra, it’s probably better to say nothing Vinny!
@Anthony Curran: it’s insulting that SF say they care about child protection while protecting subhuman pedos
@Anthony Curran: time to bring back internment for the shinner vermin, a cage has always been the best place for a shinner. Would you leave your child alone with a shinner?
Keeping Ireland on its upward trajectory is best assured by it being in the hands of either FG or FF who have a proven record rather than dangerous leftist experimentation with has proven disastrous outcomes in many countries.
Oh yeah those disastrous lefties in Norway have really up-ended the place. They even had the nerve to use their own natural resources to benefit it’s own people. We CANNOT let the crazy left stand up to the corporate interests that are so dear to the hearts of FFGers like Tom here
@thomas molloy: thankfully the looney left are for laughing at lol
@Darth O’Leary: are you suggesting we should have never entered the EU, do you also do stand up lol
@Darth O’Leary: yea and like Venezuela , oh…….
@Darth O’Leary: have you been to Norway, the cost of living there is far higher than Ireland
@thomas molloy: health system – failed. Housing – failed. Transport – failed, protection of children – failed, I could go on and for hours about the Failures of Fg and FF.
@thomas molloy: ah yeah, did us real well in 2007 and since
@Liam OTailliuir: it did actually, Europe’s bailed us out for silly over borrowing by the underclasses
@thomas molloy: Is that you Me Hole? loved your PR stunt the other day especially giving a couple of quid to the homeless immigrant lol
@Ger Whelan: You must still be dependent on RTÉ for cancelled version of world news. Get a satellite dish and try real news. Also the world is not flat.
@Liam23: Their wages are also far higher than Ireland. The difference between incoming outgoings allow Norwegian workers a far superior lifestyle to Ireland. The cost of a pint shouldn’t be the standard by which you calculate successful economies.
@thomas molloy: Don’t need RTE to tell me anything about what I just said. Care to tell me how anything I said is wrong?. Come on Thomas please correct me in what I said was wrong and give examples?.
@thomas molloy: a proven track of being terrible
@thomas molloy: ff bankrupted the country in 2008 funny how all you ff followers forget about that,,
@Ger Whelan: Are you suggesting we vote SF on their record of child protection?
@Vincent Alexander: Where did I say to Vote for SF. But while you’re talking about child protection go look at how many children that were in the care of our government under Tulsa that were missing and how many haven’t been found. So clearly you won’t for Fg or FF or the greens if child protection is all you consider.
@james rowan: Do you not believe Mehole, according to him we never bailed out the banks. Then FF forget a lot of what said, collective amnesia.
@Darth O’Leary: did you get a plastic toy in your cornflakes? lol
@thomas molloy: A proven record of what exactly ?
@james rowan: The world wide financial crisis nearly wiped out our banking systems but Brian Lenehan FF refinanced the banks and saved our economy. His strategy was admired and copied internationally. It was pressure from the left that encouraged reckless banking practices, lend everyone a million’ don’t be stingy which created the credit bubble.
@Paul M Doe: except it wasn’t the underclasses. If you had even a close to adequate education you’d know this.
@Darth O’Leary: Denmark also a really terrible lefties place…
@thomas molloy: not sure about that it was ff poor enforcement of banks that caused the crash so don’t think they have the answers
@Fergus O’Donnell: oh it certainly was the underclasses Mary and Pat in the council house off skiing on borrowed money
@thomas molloy: the haters won’t like facts
@Liam23: true but the people are not struggling to survive like we are. They don’t have to pay banks from all across Europe for the European crash and not just our own! We are paying for 42% of the total losses of banks not just the ones we cost.
@Paul M Doe: Actually we are paying 42% of all the banks losses across Europe and it has nothing to do with the underclasses. But it was the greedy builders and developers and banks that caused the crash!
@Paul Linehan: It should be in you measure your wages in pint equity. How many pin ts does my take home pay buy me.
Another win for Norway!!!
@thomas molloy: It had nothing to do with the left. We were hung out to dry by the IMF and EU.
Conor Lenihan was a great politician and a lovely person, but he was never in a million years a Minister for Finance. he was put there to make him struggle and look bad!
Why are we inflicted with posters of Haircut Harris when he’s not even standing in our area??
This practice should be banned.
Also FF & FG posters on ESB poles which is totally illegal!
@Ollie Fitzpatrick: i see Sinn Fein Posters on ESB poles why are you nit picking they all do it
@Sheila McNulty: Not in my area yet! Too hard for you to comprehend???
@Ollie Fitzpatrick: he is the wonderful leader of our booming country :)
@Sheila McNulty: seen a few SF posters defaced :)
@Paul M Doe: WAS!!!
@Ollie Fitzpatrick: so if not in your area its not happening Wise up
@Sheila McNulty: I am just speaking fact!! What I have seen. Not what might happen. Just go back into your FF/FG corner!!
@Ollie Fitzpatrick: is and will be for the next decade :)
The Greens, PBP, Labour wiped out. Irish people do not support Communists. Sinn Féin on life support. Was not going to vote but will vote Aontu as the best of a bad lot.
@Dan Murphy: SF are beyond life support, pull the plug lol
@Dan Murphy: Aontu? The party that still thinks it’s the 19th century?
@Ger Whelan: surely it’s time for a public enquiry into SF and it’s treatment of kids
@Paul M Doe: it sure is buddy. You seem to think I care about the SF party. I do not. But while having an public enquiry into SF can we also have a Public enquiry into the 3 parties who are in government to explain how so many kids went missing from social services under their term in government. Go look at how many kids they lost and more shockingly how many they haven’t actually found. All our political parties should be held accountable don’t you think?
@Dan Murphy: You haven’t a fkin clue what a communist is if you think Greens, PBP and Labour fall into that category. Eejit.
@Ian:
It’s trump style dumbing down of the voters, hopefully we are better educated than that.
@Dan Murphy: Their posters are the best, misshapen heads and bucked teeth… “believer” types lmao
@Ger Whelan: cool story bro
Sickening to see Fianna Fail posters defaced obviously SF are behind this
@Lefty Cries: Hilarious listening to Dolittle talking about Democracy, when he trampled all over our Democracy in the Votegate scandal in the Dail.
Serious questions remain from SF, who authorised the moving of that POS from NI to this country, not only move him here but put him in a position in the Seanad, guess what position?
FG are awesome
Its unbelievable how try can lie with a straight face
@Shaun Gallagher: that’s lefties for you
@Paul M Doe:
That’s ALL politicians for you, it’s an essential part of the job
@Shaun Gallagher: Do you want to try that again in English?
@Shaun Gallagher: When there is no definition of what the ‘truth’ is then everything’s a lie.
@Paul M Doe: No, just politicians. The GP are even more affected because they were spoilt by getting their own way the whole time due to the fear that FF and FG have of SF. But once the election was called anyway and the Dail dissolved, FF and FG have no further need of them, and they are now throwing the rattler out of the pram.
I don’t even have to sleep anymore – dreams and promises flying thick and fast from every direction
Still looking for civilized political party who doesn’t support Palestinian and Hezbollah terrorists. Supporting Islamists will invite them into Ireland in huge numbers – you like and support us – so here we are! With such madness around there is no question wether Ireland will become an islamic country it’s about after how many years! Politicians who supporting this often have no children due to sexual orientation so they don’t really care about fundamental things – just to stay in power for some time in order to grab enormous salary/pension.
@Sergej Simonov: You should probably fk off to the airport and find somewhere else to live. Decent Irish people don’t support Hamas or Hezbollah or any of those terrorists but support the ordinary Palestinian people and their right to exist withiut being slaughtered and to have a homeland of their own.
@Sergej Simonov: Oh do one you apologist for genocide. Ireland suffered from ethnic cleansing and genocide. That’s why we side with the Palestinian people. It’s nothing to do with religion. It’s everything to do with Zionist white supremacism. Free Palestine x
@Ian: well said comrade.
@Ian: Ordinary Palestinian teaching their children hatred and terrorism/jihad in crèches. 99.9% of Palestinians support terrorists – otherwise they will be murdered on the spot!
@Sergej Simonov: The Israelis have literally been teaching their kids that Palestinians are less than human and to be exterminated. See the last 76 years of Palestinian extermination.
@Sergej Simonov: Go away little man.
@Sergej Simonov: Do one we don’t need any of your crap
@Ian: Just Google birth rate in Gaza! They breed faster than any other nation getting everything for free from Israel and other countries! Better tell wat Palestinians produce except born terrorists, hostage takers, tunnel diggers…?! That is why they go to work in Israel because there is nothing at home but conveyer producing terrorists.
@Sergej Simonov: That’s what Paisley used to say about Catholics
@Anthony Curran: SF/IRA have a long history of genocide. Absolute subhumans
@Anthony Curran: he was on about subhuman provos and he was right :)
FG FF GP have shown nothing but contempt and arrogance to the Irish people during the term of the outgoing Government . They’ve been concerned only with looking after Ukrainian refugees and asylum seekers . I wish we had a Government that put Irish people first in their own country .
@Jim Ryan: jaysus you’re full of if.
@Ian: Point out what I wrote that isn’t true .
@Jim Ryan: put the Irish people first in their own country. Yet you’ll be the first to discriminate against the Irish LGBTQ community. Sure no double standards from you is there?
@Jim Ryan: your first mistake is alway breathing lol
So MM thinks the Occupied Territories Bill is important and should be prioritised by the next government. Fair enough. Remind me again who has consistently used a money message technicality to block the enactment of this Bill that has already passed both houses? Same fella! You’d have to be stupid to believe him again this time
@Darth O’Leary: maybe go check facts before u comment, its a big deal from an Irish Government but it has to be exactly right (which most Irish people want) or we will end up like France where it was rejected, it can’t be pushed through on a whim,
@Sheila McNulty: They’ve had 6 years Sheila. 6 years. They’re more afraid of upsetting the American genocide enablers. If they cared about the Palestinian people who have been slaughtered like animals in an abattoir, then this Bill would have been law a long time ago. F… Zionism. Free Palestine.
@Darth O’Leary: not bread and butter issues, you are obviously well off and nothing to pay for
@Lefty Cries: Some leap you’re making there. All the same rich or poor we’re all able to care about more than one thing…
@Anthony Curran: Israel are doing a wonderful job, I couldn’t be happier, long may it continue :)
If a party has been in power for four years (or more) and is making promises on the eve of an election which they’ve already had ample time to implement it really gives the impression of a snake oil salesman.
FG are the runation of this beautiful country imported freeloaders exported educated talented youth, who will never buy a house in Ireland and sold off all our assets for no return and there business buddies getting fatter by the day, I plead with the people do not vote for a shower who think a bike shed at 360k plus vat is value for money please cop on at the ballot box
@N D K: FG are the best thing to ever happen this wonderful country :)
@N D K: I tried google Translate,but it still made no sense , possi lyrics a smattering of commas and full stops might help
FG just completed the budget, why did they not do it then? Unless……. it’s electioneering and they’re not actually going to do it.
@Finn Swift: Oh my God Finn, you mean to say you think FG are telling porkies? Well…I for one am shocked. Shocked I tells ya, shocked!!
@Anthony Curran: are SF telling porkies about their reasons for covering up for pedos?
Paul Murphy demanding other parties commit to a left wing government. That gave me a chuckle
@Ger Whelan: he thinks he leads a political party lol
@Paul M Doe: can’t wait for his programme for government :D
They had their chance to reduce hospitality vat rate to 9% in Budget 2025 but they didn’t, So how come they are able to drop it to 11% in an election bluff to get back in and ride the taxpayer further.
Paul Murphy is right on this occasion… MLM has missed a trick here. The best chance SF has for a successful election here is to offer the electorate an alternative to FFG with a left coalition. The amount of apathy and the sense of resignation around this election already is staggering. In the past people flip flopped between FF and FG, believing they were voting for change or giving the government of the day a kick up the backside. Since they’ve essentially amalgamated this is no longer possible.. SF can’t afford to be stuck in no man’s land here, it’s a weak position to hold and will be read as such by the electorate. And sure just like MM before the last election.. she can always lie about it… doesn’t seem to have him any harm with the electorate.
@Brian: you lost the room with… Paul Murphy’s is right lol
@Paul M Doe: you lost the room a long, long time ago. In fact, you have never had the room
@Kevin Kerr: Bit harsh Kevin. Dodo head has a room. It’s just Sinn Féin are in it with him.
@Kevin Kerr: The mute button is a wonderful thing Kevin.. I count 8 different iterations of DumbDoes accounts I’ve muted now.. he just keeps following me around like a little puppy desperate for my attention.. The only thing you can do with these trolls is deny them the thing they crave the most.. attention.
@Kevin Kerr: is because of the housing shortage, maybe he could use a tent.
@Brian: sound advice
@Anthony Curran: I don’t associate with pedos unlike you
@Brian: exposing SF vermin is gods work, only god can judge me
If only he was in government now,he could have implemented these brilliant plans…Ooh hold on..
Why is it not in the public domain that I Gorman was caught on video breaking the law been helped by the guards to break same law by sticking up his unwanted posters well before it was called bet he ll get away with it
@liam ward: who says they are unwanted?
And their off the promises the sun moon and star! Im bored already! ho hum!!!
This is ridiculous, these Parties are just playing around with Policies and Politics to grab headlines. FG have been in Power and despite the calls to lower the VAT Rate, they did nothing by claiming it would create too much of a loss for the Exchequer, what’s changed over 24 hours. As well as that, lowering the VAT Rate will do nothing to help the Finances of the hard pressed Buisness, as it will save them nothing, it just means Businesses will take less VAT from their Customers to pass on to the Exchequer. Instead why not give the help where it counts, give a VAT Exemption on say the first €100K of Turnover, Reduce Employers PRSI, take the VAT charged on Electricity, Gas and Heating Fuel down to 5%, and cut Rates by 50%. Measures such as these would give real savings to Businesses.
@Owen Mc: U must be in Buisness so
Would prefer a left alliance, and FFFG out of the picture. But push comes to shove, I would be happy with whatever puts O Broin in charge of housing.
@Balloon Boy: Hear hear.
I despise the Greens & ROG, but as much as I do, I have to admit they are correct about Fianna Fail, a party & a leader who would get into bed with Idi Amin, just to be in power. I believe in Retrofitting, Environment, Recycling, Biodiversity but lost all belief in this Green Party who forgot all that, did fuk all to help & incentivize working families & lost the people with their concentration on their Woke agenda. Ideally both parties would be wiped out in this election. But unfortunately people vote FF because their father & grandfather did, even with Thicks like Mr. Votegate going for election.
Fool.me once……
@Spanky McShart: fool me every time for 100 years
The nonsense continues. How does reducing a tax paid by consumers benefit suppliers. Is what they really mean that suppliers keep the prices they have that includes a higher rate ov VAT but that they pocket the difference by not passing on the reduction?
I’d call that cheating!
@Padraig O’Brien: Same way it did the last time. Prices remain the same just less tax paid for by the Hospitality industry.
The 100 years of ff and fg have given us half written laws that fail people, made medical needs of citizens worse than they were when the nuns ran them, they made housing a scandal of crisis levels because non citizens can bulk buy houses thanks to fg. Disabled services are so deficient nothing changed since the 1979’s.
However the carbon tax is being paid by the citizen because other countries around the globe pollute and do not pay any tax. Following the ideology of the carbon experiment cannot be blamed on the greens but on the individual in the Norway and Finland experimental centres.
What do we want for our country. I want better services for the disabled, a better health system and house purchase potential for our youth. I cannot see ff and fg delivering on those after eight years working together
All left wing parties with your woke ideologies, and economic airy fairy mandates can go fall off a cliff hopefully. Take your ZERO science climate cult with you
@Des Daly: Did you do your research on Facebook Des?
Ryan has destroyed the country, ff& fg should be ashamed to include him in the Govt last time out just to have a majority, Greens will get No seat’s this time around, they will dissapere like the PD’s years ago.
Two vomit inducing individuals
I’m sure the hospitality industry won’t be suckered by this FFG fake promises, Holly Cairns talk a lot of sense.
I’ll vote for whoever is the most fiscally responsible. We have seen who the US have voted for and what his plans are and yet not one party is even hinting that our tax take may be decimated over the coming years if the US reduce their CT to 15%.
Imagine all the people… Nah!!!
are these muppets winding us up. they told us the last time they wouldnt go into government together but when they didn’t get enough votes all of a sudden they would from a collation. now there is a general election called they are slattin each other again and we all know they will do the same again to remain in power. bunch of hypocrites
Sutka spruce forests in Ireland lock up massive amounts of carbon. The Green destruction of the Forest industry has effectively stopped the planting of spruce. 90% of the land we once could plant is now blocked. So ireland won’t meet carbon targets and will be fined.
The damage these ideologues have caused is staggering. Common sense and compromise is not on their lexicon
Please don’t vote Green.
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