Islamic State claims responsibility for Sri Lanka bombings

Islamic State has claimed responsibility for coordinated bombings in Sri Lanka which killed 321 people and injured about 500 others, the group's AMAQ news agency said on Tuesday.

The group did not give evidence for its claim.

A video shared to the social media of Al Ghuraba Media – not an official Islamic State channel but believed to be run by its supporters – featured the chilling message “This bloody day is our reward to you”, according to news.com.au.

The video also showed photos of three of the alleged suicide bombers, Abul Barra, Abul Mukhtar and Abu Ubaida, in front of a black IS flag holding a one-finger salute.

This followed allegations from a Sri Lankan official Tuesday the bomb attacks were in retaliation for a recent attack on mosques in New Zealand.

Junior minister for defence Ruwan Wijewardene told parliament that two domestic Islamist groups were believed to be responsible.

"The initial investigation has revealed that this was in retaliation for the New Zealand mosque attack," he said.

"It was done by National Thawheed Jama'ut along with JMI," he said, referring to another local group, Jammiyathul Millathu Ibrahim.

Limited information is known about the terror group other than it being established last and affiliated with a group in Bangladesh of a similar name.

US intelligence sources said earlier the attacks carried some of the hallmarks of Islamic State, even though it had not made an immediate claim of responsibility, as it usually does.

Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe told parliament investigators were looking into foreign links.

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