The leader of an Islamic extremist group suspected of involvement in deadly bombings in Sri Lanka last Sunday says his organization expelled the alleged mastermind of the attacks two years ago.
Mohamed Yoosuf Mohamed Thoufeek heads the group known as National Towheeth Jamaath. He held an interview with NHK in eastern Sri Lanka.
Thoufeek referred to Mohamed Zahran, who Sri Lankan authorities suspect was behind the attacks and carried out one of the suicide bombings. The authorities also believe Zahran was a senior member of the group.
Thoufeek said Zahran founded the group but was expelled as he was suddenly radicalized in 2017.
Thoufeek said Zahran had been missing since he clashed with police in a pro-Islam rally in the same year. He added that Zahran was brainwashed for the two years after his expulsion from the group.
Sri Lankan and Indian authorities suspect that Zahran moved to the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu after his dismissal.
Last year, Indian authorities cracked down on activities linked to the Islamic State militant group. They reportedly learned that Zahran might conduct terrorism in Sri Lanka, and conveyed the information to Sri Lankan authorities.
Sri Lankan authorities suspect that Zahran may have contacted the Islamic State group while he was in India. They are trying to paint a full picture in cooperation with their Indian counterparts.
The simultaneous bombings hit three hotels and three churches on Easter Sunday. Most of the attacks occurred in the country’s largest city of Colombo.
The Sri Lankan government has revised down the number of victims in the attacks. It now says 253 people were killed. The previous figure was 359.
Officials say they mistakenly counted some bodies more than once, and blamed the difficulty in identifying body parts for the inaccurate number.
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