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2008 Piliyandala bus bombing

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2008 Piliyandala bombing
Colombo District highlighted within Sri Lanka
LocationPiliyandala, Colombo, Sri Lanka
DateApril 25, 2008
18:45[1] (UTC+5:30)
Attack type
parcel bombing
Deaths26
Injured64
PerpetratorsLiberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (suspected)

The 2008 Piliyandala bombing was a bombing of a commuter bus carried out on April 25, 2008 in Piliyandala, Sri Lanka, a suburb of Colombo. The bombing killed 26 and injured at least 64,[2] and was the first major attack against civilians on the island since the April 6 Weliveriya bombing that killed Highways Minister Jeyaraj Fernandopulle and national athletics coach Lakshman de Alwis. It was also the deadliest bus bombing since the January 16 attack on a civilian bus at Buttala.[3]

The bombing took place amid a government offensive against the separatist Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) in the island's north.[4]

Details

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The blast was caused by a parcel bomb deposited "on an overhead rack near the front of the bus", and took place during the evening peak hour.[5] The explosion, which came as the bus began to drive away from a bus stand in the residential neighbourhood of Piliyandala in southern Colombo, tore off the vehicle's roof and destroyed windows of nearby structures.[4]

According to police, the blast killed 26 people—ten at the scene of blast, 14 en route to hospital, and two in hospital—and injured at least 64 others. The deceased included a Buddhist monk, a 10-year-old boy and eight women.[2][4]

Lakshman Hulugalle, a spokesman for the government of Sri Lanka, blamed the LTTE for the attack,[4] stating:

With the heavy defeats that the LTTE is having in the North during the last two to three days, I think that the terrorists have again turned to [attacking] the innocent civilian who does not carry any arms or gun.[5]

President Mahinda Rajapaksa later echoed these sentiments,[6] claiming that the LTTE "had once again resorted to killing innocent civilians in the face of heavy setbacks on the battlefield".[7]

Arrests

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The Sri Lankan police arrested a man, Sityanadan Anandan Sudhakaran, alias Wasanthan, in connection with the bombing. He had reportedly been ordered by the LTTE leadership to bomb a bus in order to maximize casualties, and detonated the explosives via remote control.[8]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Athas, Iqbal (April 23, 2008). "Deadly bus bomb in Sri Lanka kills 23". CNN. Archived from the original on 21 May 2008. Retrieved 2008-04-30.
  2. ^ a b Jayasinghe, Amal (April 26, 2008). "Sri Lanka fears more bombings as bus toll hits 26". France 24. Archived from the original on May 21, 2008. Retrieved 2008-04-28.
  3. ^ Buncombe, Andrew (April 26, 2008). "Dozens killed in Sri Lankan bus bomb". The Independent. Archived from the original on 28 April 2008. Retrieved 2008-04-30.
  4. ^ a b c d "Many dead in Sri Lanka bus blast". BBC News. April 25, 2008. Archived from the original on 26 April 2008. Retrieved 2008-04-25.
  5. ^ a b "Tamil Tigers Suspected in Rush-Hour Bus Bombing in Sri Lanka". Voice of America. April 25, 2008. Archived from the original on 2008-04-30. Retrieved 2008-04-25.
  6. ^ "Military: Police defuse time bomb at Sri Lankan bus station". International Herald Tribune. April 28, 2008. Archived from the original on 1 May 2008. Retrieved 2008-04-30.
  7. ^ Nessman, Ravi (April 26, 2008). "Sri Lanka president condemns bus bombing". Associated Press. Archived from the original on 2008-05-21. Retrieved 2008-04-30.
  8. ^ "COLOMBO: Piliyandala blast suspect was an expert in bus bombing makes several other daring revelations". Archived from the original on 2011-06-06. Retrieved 2009-03-13.
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