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20 killed in Lanka bomb attack: PTI

An attempt was made on the life of Sri Lankan minister and Muslim leader M L A M Hisbullah Monday in Batticaloa, even as a suicide bomb attack at an election rally in Trincomalee killed 20 people, including a candidate of the ruling People's Alliance and wounded several others.

The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam suicide bomber struck at an election rally in Muthur in eastern Trincomalee, killing Bithullah, candidate of the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress, a constituent of the ruling coalition, and 19 others, reports said.

Police said the casualty figure could go up as several people were seriously injured.

Bithullah, contesting the October 10 parliamentary polls on a PA ticket, figured high on the LTTE hit-list as he had worked as a senior police official in-charge of anti-LTTE operations in Trincomalee district. He is the second PA candidate to be killed by rebels.

The attack at Muthur came hours after LTTE rebels detonated a mine fitted to a bicycle while the convoy of Hisbullah, Deputy Minister for Posts and Telecommunications, was passing through Kaluwanchakudi, a small town in eastern Batticaloa district.

Hisbullah, leader of SLMC, survived the attack but a civilian was killed and three security men were injured in the attack, the second in three days.

Official sources said the convoy came under attack when Hisbullah was proceeding to an election campaign meeting. Hisbullah is contesting for parliament from Batticaloa district under the National Unity Alliance (NUA) ticket.

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