COLOMBO — 2019 · Major Tragedy
The 2019 Easter Sunday Attacks
On Easter Sunday, 21 April 2019, three churches and three hotels in Sri Lanka were targeted in coordinated attacks by nine suicide bombers. St Anthony's Shrine in Colombo and the Shangri-La, Cinnamon Grand and Kingsbury hotels were hit, along with churches in Negombo and Batticaloa. More than 260 people, 42 of them foreigners, were killed and about 500 injured. It was the worst violence in the country since the civil war ended in 2009. The failure to act on prior intelligence warnings caused major controversy. After a five-year trial, a special court in Colombo convicted a number of the defendants in September 2026.
- Date
- 2019
- Place
- Western Province, Sri Lanka, Colombo, LK
- Category
- Major Tragedy
- Case Status
- Solved
- Coordinates
- 6.9470, 79.8570 ↗
Timeline of Events
- 21 April 2019Coordinated attacks hit three churches and three hotels.
- April 2019It emerged that prior intelligence warnings had been ignored.
- 2021Charges were filed against the defendants.
- September 2026A special court in Colombo convicted several of the defendants.
Sources
- NPR — Sri Lanka court convicts 15 over 2019 Easter bombings npr.org ↗
- Al Jazeera — Sri Lanka court convicts over Easter bombings aljazeera.com ↗
- CNN — Terror in Sri Lanka cnn.com ↗
- NPR
- Al Jazeera
- CNN
Source grade B: at least one verifiable linked source. If you spot a mistake or something missing, report it with "Suggest a correction" in the app.
Related Cases
More cases from Colombo
More cases from the 2010s
Categories
Collections
🕯️ This record was prepared with respect, in memory of those who lost their lives.