On 6 April 2008, 15 people were killed by an alleged
suicide bomber
A suicide attack is any violent Strike (attack), attack, usually entailing the attacker detonating an explosive, where the attacker has suicide, accepted their own death as a direct result of the attacking method used. Suicide attacks have oc ...
, who exploded himself at the start of a
marathon race
The marathon is a long-distance foot race with a distance of , usually run as a road running, road race, but the distance can be covered on trail routes. The marathon can be completed by running or with a run/walk strategy. There are also w ...
which was part of the Sinhala and Tamil New Year celebration in
Weliweriya town
On 6 April 2008, 15 people were killed by an alleged suicide bomber, who exploded himself at the start of a marathon race which was part of the Sinhala and Tamil New Year celebration in Weliweriya town, Sri Lanka. Sri Lanka's national athletics ...
,
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅkai, translit-std=ISO ()), formerly known as Ceylon and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an ...
. Sri Lanka's national athletics coach
Lakshman de Alwis Lakshman de Alwis (March 17, 1940 – April 6, 2008) was the National coach for Athletics in Sri Lanka. De Alwis started his career in Athletics when was a school boy at ''Moratuwa Vidyalaya'' and in 1958 awarded as Junior National Champion for ...
, politician
Jeyaraj Fernandopulle
Jeyaraj Fernandopulle ( si, ජෙයරාජ් ප්රනාන්දුපුල්ලේ, ta, ஜெயராஜ் பெர்னான்டோபுள்ளே, 11 January 1953 – 6 April 2008) was a Sri Lankan politician ...
, former
Olympics
The modern Olympic Games or Olympics (french: link=no, Jeux olympiques) are the leading international sporting events featuring summer and winter sports competitions in which thousands of athletes from around the world participate in a var ...
runner
K.A. Karunaratne and army officer
Lt Colonel Udayadeera were killed in the bombing which wounded 90 others. The Sri Lankan Government has blamed the
Tamil Tigers
The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE; ta, தமிழீழ விடுதலைப் புலிகள், translit=Tamiḻīḻa viṭutalaip pulikaḷ, si, දෙමළ ඊළාම් විමුක්ති කොටි, t ...
for this attack because Minister Fernandopulle was a vocal critic of the Tamil Tigers.
[
]
Investigation
Scene of Crime Officers (SOCO) of the Criminal Investigation Department
The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) is the branch of a police force to which most plainclothes detectives belong in the United Kingdom and many Commonwealth nations. A force's CID is distinct from its Special Branch (though officers of b ...
were able to identify the bomber as a Tamil that carried an identity card with a Muslim name and further investigations found that he had another identity card with a Tamil name to open a bank account to facilitate his expenses. This allowed the CID to trace his accomplices, including the handler but the handler had escaped to LTTE controlled areas while another female Tamil arrested for questioning committed suicide by swallowing a cyanide capsule she had hidden inside her vagina.
References
External links
Explosion caught on tape
2008 crimes in Sri Lanka
Attacks on civilians attributed to the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam
Massacres in Sri Lanka
Filmed deaths in sports
Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam attacks in Eelam War IV
Mass murder in 2008
Suicide bombings in Sri Lanka
Terrorist incidents in Sri Lanka in 2008
Filmed murder–suicides
Attacks during the New Year celebrations
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