Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena has asked the Defence Secretary and the Inspector General of Police (IGP) to quit over mishandling of intelligence reports ahead of Easter Sunday suicide bombings as the death toll surged to 359, officials said on Wednesday.
Friendly governments had shared warnings with Sri Lankansecurity services, including one memo addressed to IGP Pujith Jayasundara,ahead of the multiple attacks in three Sri Lankan cities but no steps weretaken to prevent them.
Officials said a livid Sirisena conveyed his decision toDefence Secretary Hemasiri Fernando and later to the police chief.
In an address to the nation on Tuesday, the President vowedto change the heads of defence forces within 24 hours following their failureto take adequate steps to prevent the horrific suicide attacks.
Admitting lapses, the President said he would restructurethe police and security forces.
Three luxury hotels in Colombo and a church each in Colombo,Negombo and Batticaloa besides two other locations killed 359 people andwounded hundreds on Easter Sunday in the bloodiest day in Sri Lanka since theend of the civil war a decade ago.
Police spokesperson Ruwan Gunasekara gave the new death doll and said 18 more suspects were taken into custody early on Wednesday as security operations continued. Fifty-eight suspects have been arrested since the carnage.