Fresh Details Emerge on Sri Lanka Bomber who Studied in UK

New CCTV images have emerged showing Mohamed outside the Tropical Inn Hotel in Dehiwala ahead of detonating his device on Sunday.

Fresh details have emerged about Abdul Lathief Jameel Mohamed, a former UK student who is suspected of carrying out a Sri Lanka suicide bombing.

Mohamed travelled to UK on 1 January 2006 and returned to Sri Lanka on 29 September 2007, Sky sources say.

He made another trip to the UK in 2008.

New CCTV images have emerged showing Mohamed outside the Tropical Inn Hotel in Dehiwala ahead of detonating his device on Easter Sunday.

The terrorist was one of nine who carried out a series of blasts targeting churches and hotels in the country, killing 359 people – including eight Britons – and injuring more than 500.

Eight of the suicide bombers have been identified, with deputy defence minister Ruwan Wijewardene saying they were well educated and from wealthy families.

One woman, thought to be the wife of one of the bombers, blew herself up at the home of her father-in-law, who has been taken into custody.

It is reported that his two sons were also bombers.

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Mohamed, who was born on 18 December 1982, is believed to have studied in the southeast of England at some point between 2006 and 2007.

He later did a postgraduate course in Australia, before returning to settle in Sri Lanka.

Police have so far made 60 arrests, all of whom are Sri Lankan nationals, and 32 people remain in custody.

Sunday’s coordinated suicide bombings targeted targeted three churches and three hotels, with authorities blaming a local group, National Towheed Jamaat, for the attacks.

On Tuesday, the Islamic State said it carried out the attacks before publishing images of the group’s leader, Zahran Hashmi, pledging loyalty to IS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.

Sri Lankan prime minister Ranil Wickremesinghe admitted intelligence agencies had information that could have stopped the attacks if it had been passed on correctly.

He confirmed there was a “breakdown of communication”.

The leader of the Sri Lankan parliament, Lakshman Kiriella, added that “some top intelligence officials hid the intelligence information purposefully.”

He said: “Information was there, but the top brass security officials did not take appropriate actions. Somebody is controlling these top intelligence officials. The security council is doing politics. We need to investigate into this.”

 

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