Sri Lankan churches cancel Sunday services again

Catholic officials in Sri Lanka’s capital on Thursday canceled church services for a second weekend after the Easter Sunday suicide bombings that killed more than 250 people. The Rev. Edmund Tillakaratne, spokesman for the Colombo diocese, said Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith called off all Sunday services in the diocese after receiving “specific information of two possible attacks against churches,” Agence France-Presse reported.

Since the April 21 attack on churches and hotels, officials have encouraged Muslims not to attend Friday prayers, and Catholics watched a televised Mass on Sunday.

Police officials on Wednesday published the names and photos of all nine terrorists behind the attacks. Islamic extremist Mohamed Zahran, also known as Zahran Hashim, led the bombings. Two brothers, Ilham Ahmed Mohamed Ibrahim and Inshaf Ahmed, bombed the Shangri-La and the Cinnamon Grand hotels. Shortly after the attacks, Ilham’s wife, Fathima, blew herself up, along with her children and three police officers who went to the family home in Colombo.