Sri Lanka on Thursday detained three people for plotting attacks against Israeli tourists in the country’s south. “
An investigation has been launched,” said Lanka’s Minister of Public Security and Foreign Affairs Vijitha Herath, as authorities acknowledged that they received the critical intelligence inputs from neighboring India to capture three suspects, one being a Sri Lankan national based in Iraq.
Earlier, the National Security Council on Wednesday ordered Israelis to leave the popular tourist area and surfing resorts immediately due to terrorism threats.
The agency said the warning concerned the region of Arugam Bay and beaches in southern and western Sri Lanka and was based on “current information about a terrorist threat focused on tourist areas and beaches.
” The NSC also advised Israeli tourists to put plans to visit the South Asian country on hold.
Israel said it was in close contact with Sri Lankan authorities. The advisory for Israeli tourists was not changed even after Thursday’s three detentions.
A police spokesman later named ‘Chabad House’ as one of the possible targets in terror attacks.
“The information was that a place called ‘Chabad House’ run by Israelis could be a target, and we have taken measures to strengthen security,” said police spokesman Nihal Thalduwa. He said that these days, reports of tension between Israeli tourists and the local Muslim population have been surfacing over the past few months.
However, even before the Israeli warning, the US Embassy said it had received credible information warning of an attack targeting popular tourist locations in eastern Arugam Bay.
Also read: Israelis and Americans asked to leave Sri Lanka’s tourist areas immediately due to terror alert.
Already, British and Canadian embassies have posted alerts on their websites, advising residents to avoid crowded places.
The local Muslim population of the island nation has stayed rather vocally critical of Israel’s continuing military operations in Gaza and Lebanon.
