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Smoke bomb near Easter target in Katuwapitiya 

17 Jun 2022

BY Buddhika Samaraweera A suspicious parcel, which, according to the Police, contained a smoke bomb, was found yesterday (16) on the road leading to the St. Sebastian’s Church in Katuwapitiya, which was one of the targets of the series of bombings on Easter Sunday on 21 April 2019. Speaking to The Morning, Police Media Spokesman, Senior Superintendent of Police (SPP) and Attorney-at-Law (AAL) Nihal Thalduwa said that despite reports that a parcel containing explosives was found near the St. Sebastian’s Church in Katuwapitiya, it was a smoke bomb, which was not live. He further said that it was found not near the church, but near the road leading to the church. He also said that the Special Task Force (STF) officers who arrived there had confirmed that it was a smoke bomb, and that investigations are underway to find out who had placed it on the road. Meanwhile, a spokesman for the Catholic church told The Morning that it was learnt last afternoon that a suspicious parcel had been found about 200 m away from the St. Sebastian’s Church. He further claimed that there was no apparent connection between the incident and the church. On 11 January 2022, a hand grenade was found in the premises of the All Saints’ Church on Ananda Rajakaruna Mawatha opposite the Welikada Prison in Borella at around 4.40 p.m. The hand grenade was discovered following a tip-off received by the Police, and it was later defused by the STF. Several suspects, including a retired doctor, were arrested and then placed in remand custody over the incident while the Catholic church has claimed that the Police have not investigated the incident properly. The St. Sebastian’s Church in Katuwapitiya was also among one of the locations that were targeted in a series of suicide bomb attacks that took place on 21 April 2019 on Easter Sunday.


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