Terror attack kills 156 on Easter sunday

[Whisky2014]

Targeted attack on Sri Lanka in hotels and churches. British and Americans amongst the dead.

Doesnt seem to be a thread about this..

Glad you and your family are ok nav80

It's so unsettling when these things happen close to home. When they are far away they don't seem so real somehow.

Glad you're OK, nav80. I'm so sorry to hear your family has lost friends.

Oh my god.

I haven't been watching the news this weekend that's true, but I haven't had any notifications on my phone and the News app was telling me all about Notre Dame burning

290 dead and over 500 injured. I don't know what to say. It's just beyond awful.

There just aren’t any words for this kind of atrocity. It’s barbaric. Thinking of everyone affected in Sri Lanka and overseas.

Nav please know that a lot of people in the UK (where I am) are thinking of Sri Lanka very much at this awful time. Lots of people here have been talking about it as an absolutely brutal crime against hundreds of innocent people and their families. We know that Sri Lanka’s people have been through such a lot with the war and then the 2004 tsunami and now this.
For what it’s worth, I was glad to see on the BBC website that the Queen had sent her condolences. wishing you peace at this awful time Nav.

There's nothing useful to say about this, really. It's horrendous. Sri Lanka is a very religious country, the churches will have been packed.

nav80 thank you for your post

Thankfully my family have been able call (though lines did seem to be down for a while) and get messages put up on Social Media

They went to church thankfully don’t live in the areas of Colombo that was bombed

I worry for the economy now as tourism is so needed for the country

I can’t stop thinking about that poor poor English family. They are same age as us, same profession, kids same age. Cannot imagine how the father can go on all his little family gone. The cruelty of these people is hard to comprehend.

Hi Nav80 - my thoughts are with you and your country.

So awful. Horrific. How terrible for the people in the hotels and those poor people worshipping on Easter Day. I keep imagining how happy they were celebrating Easter and then the bomber came in...
I agree that there doesn't seem the coverage that the New Zealand attacks got. There was things all over Facebook and Mumsnet after New Zealand but there is almost nothing on social media. I do wonder if it's because it's against Christians worshipping in church.

Nav

Devastating, thinking of you and your family

nav80 - please know that we (in the UK) are incredibly sad and shocked at the horrific attacks in Sri Lanka. It's a huge and devastating loss of life. The deliberate targets and timing to maximise the horror are sickening.

Nav, people are thinking of people in Sri Lanka. Why would you think they aren’t and comparing your atrocity to other attacks that have happened? I work with 2 Sri Lankans and we’ve been talking about this terrible attack since it happened and I’ve shared my sympathies with them.

From the little knowledge I have, Sri Lanka should have good knowledge of these types of attacks what with the Tamil Tigers who were bombing quite frequently in the recent past. That must have been more terrifying, knowing that these rebels could potentially attack at anytime.

Persimmonna it simply isn’t getting the same attention or the same reaction on the radio, across social media

As you said you work with colleagues from Sri Lanka

The discussions I am hearing (apart from with my family) are in regards the the British families which is absolutely tragic but it highlights that those we identify with more we tend to be more empathetic towards

And sadly Sri Lanka is a country that has suffered greatly and no doubt seen by many as one of those troubled countries that is constantly at war in some way

I think there is an effect of media coverage too.

I have been following the story as I had the time over the weekend to look up some eye witness accounts online that were not on UK TV or BBC website. Then there is background and analysis: I know they don't wish to speculate but it gets to the point where BBC TV and website and Sky reports are confusing rather than informative.

It’s been the top story in the BBC news listings since it has happened, I really do think the UK public are aware of it and are very shocked by it. Especially happening as it did on Easter when many of us were on holiday, were with our family members or at church, or were working over the holiday weekend, just like so many of the people killed in these awful attacks were doing.

Thanks everyone. The ISIS seems to have claimed responsibility. They say it’s revenge for Christchurch killings. There’s news of some vehicles packed with explosives going around Colombo so most people are staying indoors. No school till next week. The government had been warned of this and had not taken action. As I said before there’s problems between the President and Prime Minister. So sad to think perhaps these deaths could have been prevented if they had done their duty towards the country. It’s been ten years since the war ended and people were at last able to live without worry.

Yes, there's been an belated claim today by ISIS.

I nearly posted about this yesterday, but didn't want to speculate with so little information. ISIS have to be high on the list of suspects, but it's really unusual for them not to be loudly claiming responsibility from the first breaking news – after all, they do so for attacks by a single bloke with a knife who's got ideas reading the internet.

This horrible attack was huge and required massive logistical preparation. If ISIS had any involvement with that, it's hard to see why they don't also have pictures/videos of its supposed attackers, and why they didn't claim it immediately on Sunday.

So, not sure.

Sri Lanka attacks: What we know about the Easter bombings
www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-48010697
On Tuesday, IS said it had carried out the attacks. But a BBC correspondent in Sri Lanka says the IS claim should be treated cautiously. The group usually claims an attack very soon afterwards, publishing pictures of those who carried it out on its media portal, Amaq.

In terms of the type of attack, it's more al Qaeda than ISIS, to be honest - and ISIS do have previous for claiming attacks when no one else has, so I am not sure what, if any, influence they had.

It has certainly taken considerable skill, planning, ability and money to pull this off, which is why I assume there's an assumption of outside influence, as it's my understanding that the local group involved is small and low in capability (from a terrorism perspective).

@nav80 I am so sorry this has happened to your country and your people. I hope Sri Lanka will be given whatever assistance from the international community they need - I had a look yesterday for fundraising appeals, but could only find one in the US that was a bit too inspecific for me to feel comfortable to donate to. This is such a devastating thing, on so many levels, and it's so tragic that it's happened when Sri Lanka had been so successful in casting off the violence and terror of the past. It must also have triggered so many memories for those who remember the war and its aftermath too

There was a lot of coverage on mainstream media on Easter Sunday but not on MN.

My friend is OK! So relieved.

So pleased for you,

I've just found this thread.

Prayers for your country nav

Just been in tears watching the news, it is devastating. Just people like me going to Mass on Easter Sunday.