A day for rest and worship turned deadly in Sri Lanka

A group of unknown terrorists in Sri Lanka has committed a terrible act named “a new type of terrorism”. On Easter Sunday more than 250 people died and over 490 were injured in this coordinated attack where churches and some hotels appeared to be the main target. A series of bombs were used to destroy all the places. Several of those bombs went off inside churches, during Easter services in three cities.

Though it wasn’t immediately clear who was behind the eight explosions that paralyzed the country, Manisha Gunasekera, high commissioner of Sri Lanka to the UK, said the blasts are “certainly acts of terror.” Ten days before the attack, an intelligence memo warning of a possible attack had been circulated, raising questions about whether more could have been done to prevent the attack. An island-wide curfew was implemented until the following morning.

At the Zion Church, 29 people were killed, including 14 children that had just been released from Sunday school, reports said.

Sri Lankan authorities have blamed a local religious extremist group, National Towheed Jamaat. The Islamic State group has also claimed responsibility, though officials are still investigating the extent of any involvement, the AP reported.