Sri Lanka defense secretary resigns after Easter Sunday suicide bombings
Security outside St. Anthony's Shrine in Colombo three days after the Easter Sunday attack. Photo: Jewel Samad/AFP/Getty Images
Sri Lanka's defense secretary has resigned at the request of President Maithripala Sirisena amid concerns that the government did not act on intelligence-based warnings before the Easter Sunday suicide bombings, the AP reports.
Between the lines: Indian intelligence officials warned the government of a pending attack as early as April 4, with one police official sending a memo to Sri Lankan security agencies on April 11 alerting them to the threat of suicide bombings at churches, the New York Times has reported. Officials are also warning of a possible new attack by the same terrorist group targeting Sufi shrines, according to a letter obtained by the Times. The U.S. Embassy in Sri Lanka issued a warning Thursday to avoid "places of worship" this weekend.
Go deeper: Sri Lanka minister says bombings were in retaliation for New Zealand attacks