Lanka House panel to probe Easter Sunday attacks

Sri Lanka Parliament Speaker Karu Jayasuriya has set up a special panel to probe the April 21 Easter Sunday terror attacks, which claimed over 250 lives, authorities said here on Friday.

The special committee, to be headed by Deputy Speaker Ananda Kumarasiri, will have seven legislators as members, reports Xinhua news agency.

The committee would conduct an independent probe into the terror attacks and report its findings to Parliament, Speaker Jayasuriya said.

As many as 89 suspects, arrested for their alleged links with the attacks, were under the custody of the Criminal Investigations Department and the Terrorism Investigations Department, the police said.

The Islamist group National Thowheed Jamaath (NTJ) has been blamed for the attacks. It is believed to have links with the Islamic State terror group that claimed the April 21 Easter Sunday bombings.