Terrorist outfit Islamic State has claimed responsibility for series of bombings in Sri Lanka that killed 321 people and injured about 500 others.
According to Reuters, the terrorist group’s AMAQ news agency came up with the claim on Tuesday without giving any evidence.
Separately, Sri Lanka’s defence minister, Ruwan Wijewardene said the attacks were a response to the recent mass shooting in Christchurch, New Zealand.
“The preliminary investigations have revealed that what happened in Sri Lanka was in retaliation for the attack against Muslims in Christchurch,” Wijewardene told a special sitting of parliament, referring to the terrorist attack in March in which 50 people were killed.
The minister did not present any evidence for his claim.
An intelligence memo circulated to some in government in the weeks before the attack noted that one member of the terrorist group named as the perpetrator had started to update his social media accounts “with extremist content” after the New Zealand shootings.
