The Islamic State-linked Sri Lankan extremist group National Thowheed Jamaath (NTJ), blamed for the Easter Sunday bombings, has been found possessing more than Rs 140 million in cash and other assets worth over Rs 7 billion, police said on Monday.
The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) has identifiedmore than Rs 140 million cash and other assets worth over Rs 7 billionbelonging to the terror group involved in the Easter Sunday attacks, PoliceSpokesman SP Ruwan Gunasekera said.
The assets and the cash were found during the investigationsby the CID, police said.
“Half of the cash has been taken under CID custody and theremainder was found deposited in several bank accounts. The CID has takenmeasures to suspend those accounts,” Gunasekera said.
Gunasekera said since the April 21 attacks in which over 250people were killed, around 73 suspected members of the NTJ have been arrestedand are being questioned by the CID and the Terrorist Investigation Department(TID).
“There are 54 suspects including seven women under CIDcustody while 19 others including two women are under TID custody,” he said
More than 250 people, including 11 Indians, were killed andnearly 500 others injured in the co-ordinated suicide bombings, which targetedthree Catholic churches and three luxury hotels.
The Islamic State terror group claimed the attacks, theisland nation’s worst, but the government blamed ISIS linked local Islamistextremist group NTJ.
More than 250 people, including 11 Indians, were killed andnearly 500 others injured in the co-ordinated suicide bombings, which targetedthree Catholic churches and three luxury hotels.
The Islamic State terror group claimed the attacks, theisland nation’s worst, but the government blamed NTJ. The government has bannedthe NTJ and arrested over 100 suspects in connection with the blasts.The move to ban the outfits came after theLankan Parliament adopted a newly-enforced emergency regulation on Wednesdayfollowing a series of eight coordinated blasts, which ripped through threechurches and three high-end hotels frequented by tourists on April 19 in thecountry’s deadliest violence since the devastating civil war ended in 2009.