2019 Sri Lanka Easter Bombings
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Overview
The 2019 Sri Lanka Easter Bombings refers to a series of terrorist attacks at hotels and Catholic churches in three cities in the nation of Sri Lanka. More than 290 people were killed and more than 500 were injured in the attacks that targeted Christians in the region. Officials blamed the Islamist terror group National Thowheeth Jama’ath for the attacks.
Background
On April 21st, 2019, Easter Sunday, three cities Sri Lankan suffered suicide bombing attacks by a terrorist organization. The attacks took place in nine locations. In the city of Columbo, there were six attacks at St. Anthony's Shine, the Shangri-La Hotel, the Kingsbury Hotel, the Cinnamon Grand Hotel, Dematagoda housing complex and the Tropical Inn. At least 82 were killed in the attack. In nearby Negombo 104 were killed at St. Sebastian’s Church and Bandaranaike International Airport. On the opposite coast, in the city of Batticaloa, at least 28 were killed in a bombing at Zion Church.[1]
Developments
Online Reaction
Facebook [2] user saritamarlou posted about their experience inside the Shangri-La Hotel when the bombing took place. They wrote, "Thankful to the management and staff of the hotel for putting everyone’s safety in priority and working tirelessly to ensure that we are all okay. Again, thank you for all your concern. 🙏 Mar, Selena, and I are all safe. Please continue praying for peace all over the world, not only in Sri Lanka. May you all have a Blessed Easter Sunday." The post received more than 500 reactions and 230 comments in 24 hours (shown below, left).
Following the attacks, messages of support for the victims were spread using the hashtag "#PrayForSrilanka"
That day, Pope Francis tweeted,[3] "Today, too, let us join in prayer with the Christian community of Sri Lanka, which was struck by terrible violence on Easter Sunday. We entrust to the risen Lord the victims, the wounded and all the suffering. #PrayForSriLanka." The post received more than 8,500 retweets and 36,000 likes in 24 hours (shown below, center).
However, the attacks prompted the government to block social media and messaging application and websites Facebook and WhatsApp "to prevent the spread of misinformation online."[4]
The news of the bombings inspired numerous conversations on Reddit. Threads on the /r/worldnews, /r/unpopularopinions,[5] /r/news,[6] /r/tooafraidtoask[7] and /r/islam[8] subreddit all received more than 14,000 points in 24 hours.
Offical Response
Sri Lanka Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe tweeted[9] a statement following the attacks. He wrote, "I strongly condemn the cowardly attacks on our people today. I call upon all Sri Lankans during this tragic time to remain united and strong. Please avoid propagating unverified reports and speculation. The government is taking immediate steps to contain this situation." The post received more than 2,600 retweets and 7,700 likes in 24 hours (shown below).
On April 22nd, officials blamed the attacks on the National Thowheeth Jama’ath, a little-known terrorist group in South East Asia. They also said that they had been warned of the attack on April 11th, 2019 but took no action. The prime minister denied being informed of the threat.[10]
Media Coverage
Virtually every media organization covered the bombings, including The New York Times,[1] CNN,[11] Wall Street Journal,[12] CBS,[13] USA Today[14] and more.
Search Interest
External References
[1] The New York Times – Sri Lanka Bombing Maps: What
We Know About the Attack Sites
[2] Facebook – saritamarlou's Post
[3] Twitter – @Pontifex's Tweet
[4] The New York Times – Blasts Targeting Christians Kill Hundreds in Sri Lanka
[5] Reddit – Fatal explosions in Sri Lanka at Catholic churches, reportedly 20+ dead, 50+ taken to hospital
[6] Reddit – Reddit not covering the Sri Lanka bombings the same way it covered the New Zealand shootings is dirty politics.
[7] Reddit – Explosions rock Sri Lanka. Over 140 injured and 20 dead in Sri Lanka.
[8] Reddit – Why is nobody posting about the bombings in Sri Lanka which have killed 200+ people while everyone was posting about the New Zealand massacre where 50 people died?
[9] Twitter – @RW_UNP's Tweet
[10] The New York Times – Sri Lanka Attacks Live Updates: Terrorist Group Is Identified, and Death Toll Rises
[11] CNN – Sri Lanka fears international terror link to Easter Sunday atrocities
[12] Wall Street Journal – Sri Lanka Points to Islamist Militants in Easter Bombing Attacks
[13] CBS – Death toll from Easter Sunday terror attacks in Sri Lanka nears 300
[14] USA Today – Sri Lanka bombings: Who is responsible? And did the government know an attack was coming?
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