Sri Lanka Blasts: Death on a JDS worker confirmed by Kumaraswamy, Indian toll reaches 9

Pained to learn that we lost one more Kannadiga in the #SrilankaBlasts.  @IndiainSL has confirmed the death of  Sri Hanumaiah Shivakumar.  The Chief Secretary is in constant touch with the consulate in Sri Lanka: Karnataka CM HD Kumaraswamy said on Twitter. 

National Thowheed Jamath, which has been identified to be behind the seven bombings in Sri Lanka on Easter Sunday was a little-known extremist group until today. The group is believed to have splintered off from another hardline Islamist group in the country, the Sri Lanka Thowheed Jamath (SLTJ), the BBC reported. 

Some reports have also linked the NTJ to a spate of vandalism last year that targeted Buddhist temples in Mawanella, central Sri Lanka. But they are an extremist fringe group within a small religious minority - only 9.7 per cent of Sri Lanka's population of about 21 million are Muslim.

Their social media presence is also sparse. Although they have a Facebook page, it is only updated every few weeks or so, the report said.  Their Twitter page has not been updated since March 2018, it said. The group's website is also offline - although it's not clear if it was taken down before or after Sunday's attacks.

At least eight Indians are among the dead after a string of devastating suicide blasts struck churches and luxury hotels in Sri Lanka, killing 290 people on Easter Sunday, officials said on Monday. "Sri Lankan Foreign Ministry has confirmed the death of one more individual - H Shivakumar - in the blasts yesterday, taking the total number of Indian deaths in the tragedy to 8 till now," the Indian High Commission in Colombo tweeted.

The UN leadership strongly condemned the string of attacks on churches and hotels in Sri Lanka on Easter Sunday that killed 290 people and injured more than 500 others, with the chief of the world body Antonio Guterres saying he was "outraged" by the devastating blasts.

Security has been beefed up in and around the Naval Base in Kochi in the wake of the deadly Easter blasts in Sri Lanka , a Defence spokesman said on Monday.

"In the backdrop of Sri Lanka blasts, security has been enhanced in and around Naval base as a precautionary measure. Surveillance over sea has also been enhanced," he said.

The Kochi-based Southern Naval Command is one of the three main formations of the Indian Navy. 

Fresh reports say that a blast was heard from the site where the police were trying to defuse a new bomb near a church in Colombo. 

Sri Lanka police find 87 bomb detonators at Colombo's main bus stand. A few hours ago, Sri Lanka forces had found and defused a bomb at the international airport. 

The bombings were carried out by seven suicide bombers from a domestic militant group named National Thowfeek Jamaath, a government official said Monday. All of the bombers were Sri Lankan citizens, but authorities suspect foreign links, Health Minister Rajitha Senaratne said at a news conference.

Sri Lanka government has said that the local Islamist group was behind the blasts, which claimed at least 290 lives in the country on Easter Sunday. 

Coast Guard on high alert along the maritime boundary with Sri Lanka. Ships and maritime surveillance aircraft Dornier deployed on the maritime border to prevent any attempts by suicide bombing perpetrators to escape from Sri Lanka: Indian Coast Guard sources

Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena to declare nationwide emergency from midnight on Monday following Easter Day blasts.

President Maithripala Sirisena on Monday appointed a three-member committee headed by an apex court judge to probe the country's deadliest terror attack and submit a report within two weeks, according to media reports.

Sri Lanka Blasts: Government orders new curfew as attack tensions remain high

Sri Lanka Blasts | Sri Lankan authorities order curfew in Colombo from 8 p.m. to 4 a.m: Government information department

Battling the spread of hate speech on social media platforms especially Facebook for long, the Sri Lanka government on April 21 once again "temporarily blocked" social media from spreading fake news in the wake of deadly suicide bombings in the island that killed 290 people.

Sri Lankan government forensic analyst has told the Associated Press that six church, hotel bombings carried out by seven suicide bombers.

Sri Lanka Blasts | EAM Sushma Swaraj has confirmed death of 2 Kannadigas, KG Hanumantharayappa & M Rangappa, in the bomb blasts in Colombo. I'm deeply shocked at the loss of our JD(S) party workers, whom I know personally. We stand with their families in this hour of grief: HD Kumaraswamy

I'm shocked to hear that a 7-member team of JDS workers from Karnataka, who were touring Colombo (Sri Lanka), has gone missing after bomb blasts. 2 of them are feared killed. I'm in constant touch with Indian High Commission on reports of those missing: Karnataka CM HD Kumaraswamy

High Commission of India in Sri Lanka confirms death of two more Indian nationals, K G Hanumantharayappa & M Rangappa in the bomb blasts in Sri Lanka yesterday. Deaths of 5 Indian nationals have been confirmed so far.

According to the Sri Lankan media, police have arrested 24 suspects till now in connection with attacks on churches and hotels.