One of the attackers behind the Easter Sunday bombings in Sri Lanka studied in the UK, officials say, as further details on the bombers begin to emerge.
The country’s deputy defence minister said the bomber studied in the UK before doing a course in Australia.
The announcement comes after the death toll rose again to 359 on Wednesday, with more than 500 people wounded.
Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe said the Islamic State (IS) group may be linked to the blasts.
IS has said it was responsible for the attacks, which targeted churches and high-end hotels, although it has not provided direct evidence of its involvement.
Police say they have identified eight out of nine attackers – one of whom is believed to have been a woman – with no foreigners among them
On Wednesday, the US envoy to Sri Lanka warned that there were “ongoing terrorist plots” in the country.
“Terrorists can strike without warning,” Alaina Teplitz told reporters. “Typical venues are large gatherings [and] public spaces.”
Meanwhile, Sri Lanka’s President Maithripala Sirisena has vowed to completely restructure the police and security forces after revealing that prior warnings had not been shared with him.
At a press conference on Wednesday, Deputy Defence Minister Ruwan Wijewardene gave more details on the suspected bombers.
“We believe that one of the suicide bombers studied in the UK and then later on did his postgraduate in Australia before coming back to settle in Sri Lanka,” he said.
Mr Wijewardene said that “most of [the attackers] are well educated and come from… middle or upper middle class” families.
“They are financially quite independent and their families are quite stable financially,” he added.
