Seven persons, including three Police personnel,
were injured when a suicide bomber blew himself up in a
three-storey building at Mutwal as a joint Army and Police
search team closed in on him yesterday morning.
A Police sergeant, and a Woman Police Constable
injured in the blast were said to be in critical condition, at
the National Hospital.
The joint army, police search team, acting on
information, had located the building situated at the Red Barna
Gardens in 4th lane in Aluthmawatha Road. Their attempts to gain
entrance were thwarted by the occupant, who refused to open the
door. He had then run upstairs and detonated a suicide kit.
Military spokesman Brigadier Udaya Nanayakkara
said a cordon and search operation had been launched in the
area. A 9 mm automatic pistol and a magazine with five rounds of
ammunition were recovered from the flat.
DIG N. K. Illangakoon said further
investigations were being carried out with the assistance of the
Modera Police. He refused to divulge further details until the
Government Analyst completed investigations.
OIC Modera Police Prasad Siriwardena, who was at
the scene of the blast, withheld further information.
Director Accident Service Dr. Anil Jasinghe said
a Police sergeant who was injured underwent emergency surgery.
