The US believes members of the militant group blamed for Sri Lanka’s Easter Sunday attacks may be at large and planning more assaults, US Ambassador to Sri Lanka, Alaina Teplitz has told Reuters on Tuesday. “We do believe that the terrorist threat is ongoing and there may be active plotters. Active members of the attack group that carried out the terror attacks on Easter Sunday may still be at large,” Ambassador Teplitz said.

Sri Lanka President Maithripala Sirisena has instructed the Director General of the Telecommunication Regulatory Commission to remove the restrictions to access social media platforms and messaging apps. The restrictions imposed after the Easter Sunday attacks will be removed with immediate effect. Even though the restrictions has been removed, the government asks the public to act responsibly using social media.

A half of a group of 120 Sri Lankan migrants who arrived on the French Indian Ocean island of Réunion two weeks ago has been deported early on Monday, according to officials. The group of 60, including three women and three children, were flown back to Sri Lanka in a special flight, the island's prefecture said in a statement.

Sri Lanka is ready to join the global fight against the Islamic State (IS), Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe said today. He noted the statement made by IS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi in a new video warning of attacks around the world. Wickremesinghe said that Sri Lanka will share intelligence information and expertise with the international community to face the threat from IS.

Archbishop of Colombo, Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith said today he had returned the bullet-proof vehicle given to him by the government. “I told the government that I can ensure my security without a bullet-proof vehicle,” he said and pointed out that he was not aware that it was a bullet proof vehicle. “I am sure the God will protect me. If I am to be killed by someone, I am ready to face it as well,” the Cardinal said.

Four men including a coordinating secretary of Minister Rishad Bathiudeen were arrested by the Adampan police following the discovery of 10 detonators during a search in Wedithalathivu, Mannar on Monday. 47-year-old Mohamed Zanus believed to be on of the minister's coordinating secretaries, the Wedithalathivu Rural Bank Manager and two other businessmen were among those arrested. It was reported that the Mr. Zanus is also the Mantai West Co-operative society chairman.

Sri Lanka has sought assistance from the India’s National Security Guard (NSG) for operations as well as investigation against local terror threats, the Economic Times reported. Quoting sources, it said Sri Lanka has informally reached out to India over dispatching NSG commandos. India, however, as a matter of principle does not want to send troops to a foreign land out of own volition and would rather wait for a formal request, sources added.

General Shantha Kottegoda has been appointed as Defence Secretary a short while ago. The position of Defence Secretary had fallen vacant upon the resignation of Hemasiri Fernando from the said post in the aftermath of the Easter Sunday attacks. Thusitha Wanigasinghe was appointed as the Acting Defence Secretary on April 26 and served in the said position until today.

Following the appointment of C.D. Wickremeratne as the acting Inspector General of Police, IGP Pujith Jayasundara has been sent on compulsory leave, sources said. It was reported that the Law and Order Ministry has ordered that the IGP be sent on compulsory leave. After the Easter Sunday attacks on April 21, President Maithripala Sirisena asked the IGP to resign. However, IGP Jayasundara rejected the President’s request.

A recent survey by the security forces intelligence wings have revealed that there are 45 National Thawheed Jama’at mosques throughout the country and about 139 members of this organisation presently have memorised the Holy Quran. It was reported that even women are allowed to enter these mosques as the information received by the security divisions. The first leader of this organization was Nizam a Barrister in England and educated in a university there.

A group of United National Party parliamentarians have requested the President to appoint Field Marshal Sarath Fonseka as the Minister of Law and Order. The letter sent ot the President in this regard had been signed by several UNP parliamentarians. Among those who placed their signatories were MPs Professor Ashu Marasinghe, S.M. Marikkar, Sandeep Amarasinghe, and Sujith Sanjaya Perera.

Sri Lankan security officials have warned that Islamist militants behind Easter Sunday’s suicide bombings are planning imminent attacks and could be dressed in military uniforms. The militants were targeting five locations for attacks on Sunday or Monday, security sources said.

Prime Minister of Norway Erna Solberg said the world community must continue to support peaceful development and reconciliation in Sri Lanka in the aftermath of the suicide attacks that killed 290 people including 40 foreign nationals. Delivering a speech at a memorial held in Oslo on Friday for the victims of Sri Lanka suicide bomb attacks on Easter Sunday, Solberg said the efforts for reconciliation, inter-religious dialogue and bridge-building will continue to be very important.

Mohamed Ibrahim Mohamed Ifran Ahmed, the elder brother of two suicide bombers, who blew themselves up at two hotels had been arrested by the STF during a raid in Dematagoda this morning, the Police said. Sources said that the suspect was arrested in a house at the Mahawila Scheme in Dematagoda today. The STF also recovered a German-manufactured air gun and two swords from the suspect’s possession. He was handed over to the Dematagoda Police for further investigation.

Two suspects, wanted over Easter Sunday attacks, were arrested in Nawalapitiya this morning, police said. The suspects were identified as Mohomed Iwuhaim Saadiq Abdul Haq and Mohomed Iwuhaim Shahid Abdul Haq. They would be handed over to the Criminal Investigation Department (CID), police said.

The Islamic State group has claimed responsibility for three men who blew themselves up in clashes with Sri Lankan police, the militant group said in a statement. The men set off explosives after an hour-long gun battle with police Saturday, inside what was believed to be a jihadist hideout near the eastern town of Kalmunai, in the latest fallout from the Easter attacks.

The CID yesterday (27) recovered a cache of weapons buried in a coconut grove in the Mangalapura area of Wanathawilluwa. A T-56 firearm, one 9mm pistol, one revolver, 05 locally manufactured revolvers and live rounds were found. The discovery was made over a tipoff made by Sherif Adam Lebbe, the driver of the Zahran - who is identified as the radical cleric who had led the Easter Sunday bombers. Lebbe, who was arrested in Kattankudy recently had told police that the T-56 firearm was a weapon used by Zahran.

The CID recovered three gemstones worth more than Rs. 30 million from the house at Mahawila Scheme in Dematagoda where several explosions occurred on Sunday, Police Spokesman SP Ruwan Gunasekera said. He said the officers also found Rs. 15 million in cash and Rs. 500,000 worth of foreign currency bills and jewellery from the house. Two explosions occurred inside the house on April 21 in which four people including the bomber was killed.

At least 15 people were killed, including six children, in bomb blasts and gunfire as Sri Lankan security forces raided a rented home used by a group with suspected links to the deadly Easter bombings. The dramatic confrontation late Friday came amid a nationwide security crackdown and intensive searches for suspects in numerous locations across Sri Lanka. Police warned of possible further attacks and used new emergency powers to stop and question individuals and raid homes and other sites.

The United States says assistance provided to Sri Lanka to probe the Easter Sunday attacks is only specific to the incident. The US Embassy in Colombo said in a statement today that following the tragic Easter Sunday attacks, President Donald Trump immediately extended an offer of comprehensive support to Sri Lanka to support investigation and recovery efforts.

An island-wide curfew has been re-imposed from 10.00 p.m tonight to 4.00 a.m. tomorrow (Sunday), the Police said. A curfew imposed in Kalmunai, Chavalakade and Samanthurai last night is also still in force.

Sri Lanka's former Defense Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa has said on Friday that he would run for president in elections this year and would stop the spread of Islamist extremism by rebuilding the intelligence service and surveilling citizens.

The Tamil political parties The People's Liberation Organisation of Tamil Eelam (PLOTE) and The Tamil Eelam Liberation Organization (TELO) will take a final decision on whether they would leave the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) within the next three weeks, according to party internal sources.

A prominent government minister has vehemently rejected claims made by several parties including the President, Opposition Leader and the Archbishop that the Easter Sunday attacks was a result of the weakening of the intelligence units.

In the wake of the Easter Sunday attacks in Colombo and Batticaloa, misinformation originated in Sri Lanka has been spreading through media and social media suggesting that Canada has waived all visa requirements for Sri Lankans to enter Canada. Please note, no such exemptions have been made yet. As the Canadian government continues to monitor the situation on the ground, all visa requirements for Sri Lankan Citizens still remain in place. Anyone planning to travel to Canada will need to apply for the appropriate visas and meet all requirements as per usual. It remains crucial that victims of the attacks or others wishing to travel to Canada are not further victimized by misinformation.

Head of the Directorate of Military Intelligence (DMI), Brigadier Chula Kodituwakku said today the suspected mastermind behind the Easter Sunday suicide attacks, Zahran Hashim was one of the two suicide bombers who exploded themselves at the Shangri-la hotel. Briefing the media at the President’s House on the investigation into extremist Muslim organizations operating in the country, he said they had done an analysis of photos and CCTV footage and found that the two suicide bombers at Shangri La Hotel were Zahran and Ilham.

Addressing the heads of media institutions, President Maithripala Sirisena said that the IGP Pujith Jayasundara will resign today. He reiterated that both the IGP and the outgoing Defence Secretary Hemasiri Fernando didn’t fulfil their responsibilities. He said the government should take the responsibility for the unfortunate terror attacks and for weakening the intelligence services.

The Constitutional Council (CC) has unanimously approved the nomination of Attorney General Jayantha Jayasuriya as the next Chief Justice, parliamentary sources said.