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Lankan police bust terrorist hideout in Colombo

The anti-terrorism police uncovered explosives- laden jackets designed for suicide bombers when they raided a Tamil rebel hideout in Colombo, where seven South Asian leaders will hold a summit next week, a senior police officer said today.

Acting on information from suspects detained in a pre-summit roundup, police from the terrorism investigation department raided a Tamil-owned grocery store in Jampettah street on July 13 and arrested the owner, said the officer, speaking on condition of anonymity. The police had kept the operation a secret until today.

Five more people were arrested as a result of the interrogation of the store owner, who is from the northern Tamil city of Jaffna. The police also discovered three jackets, each concealing one kilogramme (2.2 pounds) of explosives. Another kilogramme of explosives was found in a container.

The jackets used by human bombers are trademark equipment of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, the rebel group fighting for an independent homeland for the minority community. Following this, the police have tightened the cordon around the 400-room Taj Samudra hotel, the summit venue. Police dogs checked for explosives in vehicles stopped on the Galle Face road, a major thoroughfare where the hotel is located.

UNI

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