Colombo | The Islamic State group has claimed responsibility for the Easter Sunday bombings at churches and hotels in Sri Lanka, as the government there raised the number of people killed to 321. The group's Amaq propaganda arm called the bombers "Islamic State fighters".

The government said on Tuesday (Wednesday AEST) that the bombings might have been in retaliation for the killing of 50 people last month at mosques in New Zealand, and that two Islamist extremist groups might have been involved, not one.