Video purportedly shows Sri Lanka attackers pledging to IS leader

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Bangla Tribune Desk
Published : 23:33, Apr 23, 2019 | Updated : 00:03, Apr 24, 2019

A suspected suicide bomber enters St Sebastian`s Church in Negombo, Sri Lanka April 21, 2019 in this still image taken from a CCTV handout footage of Easter Sunday attacks released on April 23, 2019. CCTV/Siyatha News via REUTERSA video released online by Islamic State on Tuesday (Apr 23) purportedly showed Sri Lanka suicide bombers swearing allegiance to the terror group's leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi before the Easter Sunday massacre, the SITE monitoring group reported.
The video shows eight men, clad in black attires, standing in a circle, touch hands and pledge their loyalty to the elusive IS leader Baghdadi, who has not been seen in public for five years.

With a black ISIS flag hanging in the background, the attackers chant in unison before raising their hands together and pointing to the sky.
IS had earlier claimed responsibility for the bombings on Sunday which have killed more than 300 people and wounded hundreds of others.

The massive casualty toll makes the Easter Sunday attack the deadliest overseas operation claimed by ISIS since the group proclaimed its caliphate in 2014.
“'Those that carried out the attack that targeted members of the US-led coalition and Christians in Sri Lanka the day before yesterday are Islamic State group fighters,” IS news agency Amaq said in a statement.
The group gave the noms de guerre of seven people it said were behind the 'blessed attack' that targeted Christians during their 'blasphemous holiday'.

Three of the fighters, named as Abu Obeidah, Abu Baraa and Abu Moukhtar were said to be behind the attacks on the Shangri-La, Cinnamon Grand and Kingsbury hotels.

Another three, said to be Abu Hamza, Abu Khalil and Abu Mohammad carried out attacks on churches in the cities of Colombo, Negombo, and Batticaloa, the statement said.
The seventh fighter, Abu Abdallah, killed three police officers in an attack in a Colombo suburb, according to the ISIS statement.


A suspected suicide bomber enters St Sebastian`s Church in Negombo, Sri Lanka April 21, 2019 in this still image taken from a CCTV handout footage of Easter Sunday attacks released on April 23, 2019. CCTV/Siyatha News via REUTERS

Amaq also released a photo of eight men it said were behind the blasts, of whom seven had their faces covered while three of them held knives and one apparently brandishes an assault rifle.

The reason for the discrepancy in numbers - seven fighters named, eight pictured - was unclear.
Earlier in the day, IS claimed responsibility of the attacks which Sri Lankan officials said were believed to be retaliation for New Zealand Mosque shootings in March.
The claim, issued through the group's AMAQ news agency, came shortly after Sri Lanka said two domestic Islamist groups, with suspected links to foreign militants, were believed to have been behind the attacks at three churches and four hotels that wounded about 500 people.

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