IS releases photo of purported SLanka attackers

The Islamic State group has released a photo of the man the Sri Lanka government has identified as the leader of the Easter attacks that shook the country in multiple blasts which killed more than 320 people.

Hyderabad:The Islamic State group has released a photo of the man the Sri Lanka government has identified as the leader of the Easter attacks, asserting its claim of responsibility for the assault which killed more than 320 people.

The group released the photo on Tuesday evening through its news agency.

Sri Lankan authorities have blamed the militant Muslim group National Thowfeek Jamaath for the attack. Its leader, named Mohammed Zahran or Zahran Hashmi, became known to Muslim leaders three years ago for his incendiary speeches online.

Earlier, Sri Lankan media broadcast the video in which a bomb suspect walking into St Anthony's Shrine and St Sebastian church in Colombo, shortly before one of Sunday's explosions.

Four seconds into the footage, a man walks into shot, wearing a blue shirt and a backpack.

The man then cuts across the queue and enters the building.

It was not immediately possible to identify the man or assess whether he had any involvement in the bombings.

Sri Lanka's state of minister of defence said the attacks, which killed more than 300 people, were carried out by an "Islamist fundamentalist group" in response to the mosque attacks in New Zealand.

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