Sri Lanka bombing crackdown: 3 police killed in raid, several suspects in custody

Sri Lankan authorities have taken seven suspects into custody, who they believe may be connected with a series of bombings on Easter Sunday. Three police officers were reportedly killed in the raid.

The law enforcement deaths happened when they stormed a safehouse in Dematagoda, an area outside Colombo where the eighth explosion happened, a defense official said. A total of seven people were taken into custody in connection with the bombings.

The series of apparently coordinated explosions in Sri Lanka targeted Christian churches and luxury hotels just as believers gathered to celebrate Easter. At least two of the attacks on the churches are believed to have been committed by suicide bombers.

At least 207 people were killed and some 450 injured by the blasts, according to the latest police update. Among those killed were 27 foreign nationals, the Sri Lankan foreign ministry said. China and the Netherlands each confirmed that one of the victims was their respective citizens.

The government responded to the worst act of violence it has seen in a decade by imposing a curfew and suspending social media.

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