2008 Weliveriya bombing

7.0333°N 80.0167°E / 7.0333; 80.0167

2008 Weliveriya bombing
LocationWeliveriya, Sri Lanka
Date6 April 2008
Attack type
Roadside bomb
Deaths15[1]
Injured90
PerpetratorsLTTE (alleged)

On 6 April 2008, 15 people were killed by an alleged suicide bomber, who exploded himself at the start of a marathon race which was part of the Sinhala and Tamil New Year celebration in Weliweriya town, Sri Lanka.[2] Sri Lanka's national athletics coach Lakshman de Alwis, politician Jeyaraj Fernandopulle, former Olympics runner K.A. Karunaratne and army officer Lt Colonel Udayadeera were killed in the bombing which wounded 90 others.[3][4][5] The Sri Lankan Government has blamed the Tamil Tigers for this attack because Minister Fernandopulle was a vocal critic of the Tamil Tigers.[1]

Investigation

Scene of Crime Officers (SOCO) of the Criminal Investigation Department were able to identify the bomber as a Tamil that carried an identity card with a Muslim name and further investigations found that he had another identity card with a Tamil name to open a bank account to facilitate his expenses. This allowed the CID to trace his accomplices, including the handler but the handler had escaped to LTTE controlled areas while another female Tamil arrested for questioning committed suicide by swallowing a cyanide capsule she had hidden inside her vagina.[6]

References
  1. Blast kills Sri Lankan minister, BBC
  2. Sri Lankan MP among 10 killed in blast, CNN
  3. Suicide blast kills Sri Lankan minister, CNN
  4. Jeryaraj killed in Gampaha blast
  5. Colonel Udayadeera lays his life in the Suicide attack Archived 2008-04-11 at the Wayback Machine Ministry of Defence
  6. "BUSINESS TODAY -DEPUTY INSPECTOR GENERAL OF POLICE - SISIRA MENDIS". www.businesstoday.lk. Archived from the original on 18 October 2021. Retrieved 8 December 2020.
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