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Suicide bomber’s ID leads to more arrests
By Asif Fuard
The CID investigating last Tuesday’s suicide bomb attack on Army Commander Lt. General Sarath Fonseka at the Army Headquarters in Colombo has detained five suspects.

The latest arrest came in the wake of the CID stumbling upon the woman’s identity card which had an address at Puvarasankulam in Vavuniya. Two supposed family members from the house at the address were arrested and brought to Colombo for interrogation.

A CID team had gone to Vavuniya to investigate the bomber’s connections as they believed that she would have originally come from the area.
Detectives found that the suicide bomber had stayed in a lodge at Dam Street in Colombo 12 and has had some 25 visitors. The CID is now trying to locate the visitors and what links they had with the woman.

Police also detained the lodge owner who was later released. During questioning he had told investigators that the woman had first come with a Muslim man. When she was not allowed to stay in the lodge the first time she had again arrived with a Tamil man and had eventually been provided accommodation.

Detectives had found out that the bomber had visited the Army Headquarters on a few occasions as an officer’s wife who was pregnant. Investigators are trying to find out how she had entered the high security area without arousing suspicion and being checked.

Death toll rises to 11
A female soldier injured in Tuesday’s suicide bomb attack at the Army Headquarters succumbed to her injuries at the National Hospital, taking the death toll to 11, a Hospital official said yesterday.

They said five people wounded in the incident, including Army Commander Sarath Fonseka, were being treated at the Intenstive Care Unit.

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