Brother of suspected Sri Lanka suicide bombers detained with TWO SWORDS – reports

The elder brother of two suicide bombers believed to have participated in the deadly Sri Lanka Easter bombings has been detained outside the country’s capital with two swords, local media have reported.

News portal Ada Derana said that the brother, identified as Mohamed Ibrahim Mohamed Ifran Ahmed, was in possession of two swords when he was arrested in a suburb outside Colombo. His younger brother is suspected of carrying out a suicide bomb attack at Colombo’s five-star Shangri-La hotel. Another brother is said to have attacked a restaurant at the luxury Cinnamon Grand hotel.

Their father, a wealthy spice trader, was taken into custody after the deadly attacks, which killed at least 253 people and injured hundreds more. Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIL/ISIS) has claimed responsibility for the bombings.

Two other men, also said to be brothers, were detained by authorities earlier on Sunday in connection to the incident.

Sri Lankan security forces have been searching the country for other suspects linked to the attack, with over 70 individuals detained so far. Authorities discovered 15 bodies, including six children, after a shootout on Friday night between military police and suspected militants.

Like this story? Share it with a friend!