‘We heard a blast… everything became fire’

Brother Stanley was the pastor in charge of the Zion church in the Mattakalappu area of Sri Lanka when the bombing happened.Speaking to BBC Tamil, he recalls meeting the suspected bomber outside the church and inviting him inside after he had enquired at what time the Easter service would begin.The bombings targeted churches that were packed full for the Easter holiday, as well as hotels popular with tourists.Sri Lankan authorities blamed a local Islamist extremist group, National Tawheed Jamath, for the attacks, although the Islamic State group (IS) has also claimed it played a role.
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