Sri Lanka blasts: As toll reaches 290, ISIS hand is suspected

So far, 24 people have been arrested in connection with the blasts.

The pattern of the attacks has made intelligence agencies in India suspect that ISIS terrorist group might be behind the carnage that left Sri Lanka shocked on a day when it was observing Easter Sunday.

“If you observe the pattern of the attack it is a classic Islamic State attack. A collective of people has been targeted using explosives. The government is working closely with Sri Lanka to get to the bottom of this. As of now, we are strongly suspecting IS because of the nature of the attack, but forensics will try to establish the explosive used, and the kind of detonator and other details to get to the bottom of this," an intelligence official, who did not wish to be identified was quoted as saying by Live Mint.

Another senior official, who did not wish to be identified, told the publication that even the National Investigation Agency (NIA) had been busting IS modules down south in Hyderabad and Kerala, there had been reports of some of these boys “gaining training from the middle east and being sent out of India." 

“Two things must be kept in mind: We just know it was a suicide bombing but we don’t know who has done this. A lot of young men from the Indian subcontinent and areas such as Indonesia have been inducted by the IS to conduct such operations. That has yet to be established as to who was behind the attack," the official said.

Sri Lanka had witnessed terror attacks in the past when Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) was active in several parts of the nation.

However, its activity reportedly ceased following the death of its leader Velupillai Prabhakaran. He was was killed by Sri Lankan security forces in 2009.

“No Tamil fringe group is responsible for this attack. We have studied their pattern for years and this is unlike them. Work is on to establish who is behind the attack but in all likelihood, it looks like either the IS or a fringe group associated with the IS – we will know more by tomorrow (Monday) hopefully," a senior Union home ministry official, requesting anonymity told Live Mint.

As per Daily Mail report, early evidence pointed to the National Thowheed Jamaath (NTJ), a relatively unknown radical Islamist group said to have formed in Kattankudy, a Muslim-dominated town in eastern Sri Lanka, in 2014.

Sources in the Muslim community in Sri Lanka told the newspaper that the group has publicly supported Islamic State. They also say that Zahran Hashim, named in reports as one of the bombers, was its founder. 

Rita Katz, Director of SITE Intelligence Group, tweeted: "Hundreds killed and hundreds more wounded in Easter blasts at #SriLanka churches. While no group has yet claimed responsibility, targeting Christians is a staple of #ISIS attack directives (not to mention past attacks in places like Egypt)."

In another tweet, she said: "To that point, #ISIS supporters are already celebrating the attacks as revenge for the military campaign against the group: 'Just like the massacre of mosques, it is an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth'."

The death toll in the eight blasts which rocked Sri Lanka on Sunday has touched 290, media reports said on Monday. 

The deceased included foreign nationals. Five Indians were killed in the blasts.

Meanwhile, an improvised explosive device was detected near Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA) in Colombo city of Sri Lanka and was later defused, media reports said.

"An improvised explosive device was detected near the Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA), and was disposed in controlled explosion at site by the Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) personnel a short while ago," reported The Daily Mirror news paper of Sri Lanka.

Sri Lankan Minister of Telecommunication Harin Fernando has shared images of a memo on his Twitter page which  warned of a potential attack in the country.

"Some intelligence officers were aware of this incidence. Therefore there was a delay in action. What my father heard was also from an intelligence officer. Serious action need to be taken as to why this warning was ignored. I was in Badulla last night," the Minister tweeted.

Sri Lankan government has temporarily banned social media platforms like Whatsapp and Facebook following the blasts, reports said.

As per BBC report, police said that 24 arrests have now been made, but the government has not yet identified who carried out the attacks.

Eight blasts rocked Sri Lanka on a day when the country was observing Easter Sunday.

Blasts were reported from three churches and several other hotels in the city.

The churches were identified as St Anthony's Shrine in Kochchikade, St. Sebastian's church in the nearby city of Negombo and Zion Church in the eastern city of Batticaloa. The first blast occurred at 8.45 am in St Anthony's Church in Kochchikade and the other at St Sebestian's Church in Katuwapitiya, Katana.

Shortly after those blasts were reported, police confirmed three hotels in the capital had also been hit, along with a church in the town of Batticalao, in the east of the country.

The police said explosions also occurred at Shangri-La Hotel and Kingsbury Hotel in the capital.