Sri Lanka detains suspects, fears retaliatory attacks

Sri Lankan authorities on Thursday detained the father of two suspected suicide bombers on suspicion of aiding his sons in the Easter Sunday attacks that killed more than 350 people. Former navy chief Jayanath Colombage confirmed police arrested Mohamed Yusuf Ibrahim, a prominent spice trader. His sons were among the nine bombers who targeted hotels and churches on Sunday in Sri Lanka as Christians gathered to celebrate Easter.

The number of arrests related to the bombings rose to 76, including one Syrian national, police said Thursday. Several churches and businesses in the capital city, Colombo, and in Negombo, remained closed.

Muslims in the country braced for retaliatory attacks after Islamic State claimed responsibility and authorities blamed a local Islamic militant group for the violence. Some mosques stopped broadcasting prayer calls over loudspeakers, while others asked police to guard their gates ahead of Friday prayers.