ZCZC
BFF-06
SRILANKA-ATTACKS
Improvised bomb made safe near Colombo airport: police
COLOMBO, April 22, 2019 (BSS/AFP) – An improvised pipe bomb discovered
close to Colombo’s main airport was successfully defused by the Sri Lanka
airforce, police said.
A police source told AFP that a “homemade” pipe bomb had been found late
Sunday on a road leading towards the main terminal, which remains open with
heavy security after Easter Sunday’s deadly bomb attacks.
“It was a homemade bomb, with explosives put into a pipe,” said the source.
Airforce spokesperson Group Captain Gihan Seneviratne said the IED was
believed to be locally manufactured.
The discovery comes after a series of eight devastating bomb blasts ripped
through high-end hotels and churches holding Easter services, killing at
least 207 people, including dozens of foreigners.
“It was a crude six-foot pipe bomb that was found by the roadside,” an air
force spokesman said. “We have removed it and safely defused it at an air
force location.”
There were disruptions to flights, but Sri Lanka’s national carrier Sri
Lankan has already asked leaving passengers to report to check-in counters at
least four hours prior to departure because of tight security checks at the
Bandaranaike International airport.
The apparently coordinated attacks were the deadliest to hit the country in
the decade since the end of a bloody civil war that killed up to 100,000
people and evoked painful memories for many Sri Lankans.
BSS/AFP/FI/0810 hrs