WATCH | Suicide bomber enters Sri Lankan church moments before blowing himself up
CCTV footage acquired by Sri Lankan media shows the alleged suicide bomber walking into the St Sebastian Church minutes before the deadly attack was carried out on Easter Sunday.
The suspected suicide bomber can be seen carrying a blue backpack as he walked into the church corridor. He almost bumped into a little girl and her guardian outside the church.
Donning a blue shirt and black trousers, the bearded man calmly entered the church, without drawing any suspicion from those gathered there to celebrate Easter. The 26-second clip showed him entering the church through one of the side doors.
The church service was already on when he arrived. He patiently made his way into the crowd and settled down at one of the tables. The clip ends just a moment before he blew himself up, killing nearly a hundred people.
WATCH the video here:
The Sri Lanka terror attacks left 359 people dead and over 500 injured. Two days after the attack, the ISIS claimed responsibility for carrying out the serial bomb blasts in the island nation on Easter Sunday. In a statement released through its Amaq news agency, it called the suicide bombers 'Islamic State fighters.'
The bombers include two brothers, who blew themselves up in suicide bombings at different hotels. They are the sons of a wealthy spice trader in Sri Lanka, who has close political links.
On Tuesday, the Sri Lankan government apologised for failing to act on a tip-off from foreign intelligence agencies. The police have arrested several people in connection with the attacks.