Nittambuwa blast: 24 detained

By Asif Fuard

As national attention was being focused on the second bus bomb blast in Godagama yesterday, 24 people have been detained and statements recorded from 35 with detectives picking up every clue to find the identity of the person who set off a bomb in a crowded bus at Nittambuwa on Friday.

Investigations so far have revealed that the parcel bomb, which killed six people and injured more than 50, had been placed on the bus rack. Of the 24 detained, 14 are said to be Tamils living in the area, while the others are Sinhalese and Muslims.

Detectives said descriptions given by some passengers were helping them to establish the identity of the killer. Gampaha’s Deputy Inspector General D.W Prathapasinghe said yesterday Police were yet not certain who the culprit was. He said assistance was being sought from the CID, the Peliyagoda and the Gampaha police.

An official of the Government Analyst’s Department said experts were examining samples to determine whether it was a time bomb or a remote-controlled one.