The St. Sebastian's Church where a blast took place is cordoned off in Negombo, north of Colombo, Sri Lanka, April 23, 2019. The explosions which rocked Sri Lanka Sunday killed more than 300 people and injured over 500 others. (Xinhua/Wang Shen)
COLOMBO, April 23 (Xinhua) -- All police stations in Sri Lanka's capital Colombo have been put on high alert over a suspicious van and a lorry entering the city, the police said in a special media statement on Tuesday.
The police have found several abandoned explosives in and around the city since eight explosions occurred in the country on Sunday which killed at least 320 people and injuring over 500 others.
Police spokesperson Ruwan Gunasekara said that 40 suspects had been arrested over the attacks while a massive search operation is ongoing to nab more suspects.
Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe said a local extremist group, the National Towheed Jamaat, was responsible for the attacks and this group was linked to a global terror network.
The prime minister said the attacks had been planned for a long time and further investigations were underway.
Islamic State (IS), through its news outlet AMAQ, claimed on Tuesday responsibility for the attacks.
