The purported leader of an Islamic extremist group blamed for the Easter attack in Sri Lanka began posting videos online three years ago calling for non-Muslims to be 'eliminated.'
In this Sunday April 21, 2019, photo, a Sri Lankan Police officer inspects a blast spot at the Shangri-la hotel in Colombo, Sri Lanka. Sri Lankan authorities blame seven suicide bombers of a domestic militant group for coordinated Easter bombings that ripped through Sri Lankan churches and luxury hotels which killed and injured hundreds of people. It was Sri Lanka's deadliest violence since a devastating civil war in the South Asian island nation ended a decade ago.
However, warnings about growing radicalism in this island nation off the coast of India date to at least 2007, while Muslim leaders say their repeated warnings about the group and its leader drew no visible reaction from officials responsible for public security. Such powers haven’t been invoked since Sri Lanka’s bloody civil war, when people feared unclaimed bags or debris could hide a bomb. On one commuter train Tuesday morning, panicked passengers shouted over one unclaimed piece of luggage until its owner was found.
Zahran’s name was on one intelligence warning shared among Sri Lankan security forces, who apparently even quietly took their growing concerns to international experts as well.
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