Jacinda Ardern knocks down claim attack was revenge for Christchurch

Jacinda Ardern pours cold water on claims the Sri Lanka attacks were in revenge for Christchurch.

Jacinda Ardern has poured cold water on claims the Sri Lanka terror attacks were carried out in revenge for last month’s Christchurch massacre.

Last night, Islamic State claimed responsibility for the Easter Sunday bomb attacks on churches and hotels which killed 321 people, while Sri Lanka’s defence minister told parliament the co-ordinated attacks were payback for the massacre of Muslims in New Zealand.

However the NZ Prime Minister said today: “We haven’t received anything officially, nor have we received any intelligence reports that corroborate what has been said in Sri Lanka

“Sri Lanka will be in the very early stages of its investigations. So we are simply stepping back and allowing them to undertake those, but we have nothing at this stage to corroborate what is being said,” she added.

Earlier, her spokesman siad: “New Zealanders oppose terrorism and extreme violence in all its forms. In the wake of the Christchurch mosque attacks, it was the condemnation of the perpetrators of violence and a message of peace that unified us all.”

Forty people have been arrested in connection with the bombings, including one of Colombo’s wealthiest businessmen whose sons are suspected of taking part and a Syrian who police detained based on information from local suspects.

Islamic State has released this picture claiming to be the Sri Lanka bombers. Picture AFP.

Defence Minister Ruwan Wijewardene said ­initial investigations had found the worst terror strikes on Sri Lankan soil in more than a ­decade were “carried out in retaliation for the attack against Muslims in Christchurch”.

But his attempts to link the attacks — a claim circulating in ISIS chatrooms — drew scepticism from regional analysts who said the scope and sophistication of the Sri Lankan attacks would have required months of planning.

“It doesn’t make any sense. This is one of the worst terror attacks since 9/11 outside a conflict zone. It’s hard to see them coming together in the weeks after the Christchurch attack,” Deakin University terror expert Greg Barton said.

Fifty people were killed in the NZ shooting attacks on two mosques during Friday prayers on March 15 by Australian white supremacist Brenton Tarrant. Ms Ardern on Sunday described the Sri Lankan attacks as “devastating”.

Mr Wijewardene revealed the extremists believed to be ­behind Sunday’s attacks, National Thowheeth Jama’ath, had “close links with JMI”. He is believed to have been referring to Jammiyathul Millathu Ibrahim.

There were unconfirmed reports NTJ organiser Mohammed Cassim Mohamed Zaharan, alias Zaharan Hashmi, was one of two suicide bombers who attacked the Shangri-La hotel in Colombo.

Sri Lankan Muslim leaders first warned authorities about Zaharan in 2016 when his fiery hate speeches, urging Muslims to kill non-believers, began circulating online. He is thought to have shuttled between India and Sri Lanka by fishing boat after falling out with clerics from his Islamic madrassa in eastern Batticaloa — the location of one of three churches targeted.