2019 Sri Lanka bombings

Some recent news feeds, with Benjamin Netanyahu to the rescue.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu expressed “deep shock” at the terrorist attacks in Sri Lanka on Sunday that killed more than 200 people, and said Israel is ready to render assistance to the authorities in Sri Lanka “at this difficult hour.”
Call me cynical, but their help and assistance probably involves the harvesting of organs from the hundreds of victims. Just like they did in Haiti.
 
Call me cynical, but their help and assistance probably involves the harvesting of organs from the hundreds of victims. Just like they did in Haiti.
I thought Israel offer as strange. It looks Israel doesn't even have a embassy in Sri Lanka.

This reminded me of Mumbai blasts. US and Israel started offering help and applying pressure on Indian government though they don't want them. It took week or 10 days before Indian govt. even allowed them.
 
This is my observation: This is a precautionary measure to avoid the passionate heterogeneous ethnic groups ( who always compete for the limited resources for survival) react in the heat of moment and hurt other. It will lead to cycle of violence in a very short time and it will be useless to think who started what later. Rumors will be abundant (often driven by previous unrelated grudges) during this type of incident. This is common precaution taken in South Asia.

Thank you for answering my question, Seek10 - much appreciated! :-)

This article backs up your statement:

The terrible terrorist attacks that struck Sri Lanka this Easter and claimed the lives of nearly 200 people have shocked the international community, but while a lot of the facts have yet to be determined such as who was responsible for this heinous act of violence, it’s still possible to give an initial assessment of what happened and the possible consequences that it might have.

April 21, 2019 - Initial Assessment Of The Terrorist Attacks In Sri Lanka

Initial Assessment Of The Terrorist Attacks In Sri Lanka - Eurasia Future

The entire world is in mourning today on what’s supposed to be the holiest of Christian celebrations after a series of coordinated terrorist attacks struck churches and luxury hotels in Sri Lanka’s largest city of Colombo and claimed the lives of nearly 200 people. Several times as many people were injured, and the government declared the imposition of a nighttime curfew and the suspension of social media throughout the country in order to combat the spread of incendiary fake news that might make the situation even worse.
Although a lot of the facts have yet to be determined such as who was responsible for this heinous act of violence, it’s still possible to given an initial assessment of what happened and the possible consequences that it might have. What follows are observations and forecasts pertaining to this event which attempt to broaden the reader’s understanding of this tragedy and its most likely implications, serving as a frame of reference through which to interpret this incident and a resource to return to in the future for judging its ultimate accuracy.

(Note - Bolded highlights by author.)
* These were preplanned and coordinated terrorist attacks that specifically targeted Sri Lanka’s Christian minority on their holiest day and sought to ensure even worse international notoriety by hitting a few luxury hotels that are popular with foreigners.

* It remains to be seen what effect these terrorist attacks will have on Sri Lanka’s still-simmering political crisis but partisan forces will probably attempt to blame their adversaries and find a way to exploit this tragedy in pursuit of their interests one way or another.

* The same can be predicted for international forces as well, since it’ll be tempting for some of them to imply that their rivals’ intelligence agencies might have had a hand in the latest events, or at the very least present themselves as super tough on terrorism for domestic political reasons (e.g. Modi during the elections).

* Regional countries and those further afield will assist their Sri Lankan partners in the investigation and might even offer to share their valuable anti-terrorist experience with them in order to simultaneously contribute to the eradication of this menace while boosting their influence in this geostrategically positioned country.

* Terrorist apologists might attempt to connect the Sri Lankan terrorist attacks to the recent Christchurch ones in order to portray the latest killings as a “responseto that incident, which could dangerously advance the so-called “Clash of Civilizations” weaponized narrative for dividing and ruling the Eastern Hemisphere.

* Any forthcoming security crackdown might be decontextualized and deliberately misportrayed by some nefarious forces as an “anti-Muslim crusade” in order to exacerbate Muslim-Buddhist “civilizational fault lines” in Sri Lanka, Myanmar, and beyond, as well as provoke reprisal attacks against both religions.

* The intent behind the Sri Lankan terrorist attacks therefore appears to have been the same as the Christchurch ones in that an active and overly obvious effort was made to draw attention to the “Clash of Civilizations” weaponized narrative that all responsible state and non-state actors should avoid at all costs.
 
Updates:




 
Just FWIW and to add a symbolic thought about these 5-star hotels attacks: Hotels use 5-pointed stars as well as EU. I mean, there must be a reason why only 5-star hotels have been attacked and no 4-star hotels or any else...
This looks like weird to me, as these attacks are disgusting as many others, too many. Our world seems to have entered a global "satanic space" since the fire of N-D on Palm Monday April 14th...
This very Palm day will stand the two next years on April 5th 2020 and March 28th 2021.

A 5-pointed star is also named pentagram or pentagon as stated by English Wikipedia:

A pentagram (sometimes known as a pentalpha, pentangle or star pentagon) is the shape of a five-pointed star.

Pentagrams were used symbolically in ancient Greece and Babylonia, and are used today as a symbol of faith by many Wiccans, akin to the use of the cross by Christians and the Star of David by the Jews. The pentagram has magical associations. Many people who practice Neopagan faiths wear jewelry incorporating the symbol. Christians once commonly used the pentagram to represent the five wounds of Jesus.[1][2] The pentagram has associations with Freemasonry and is also used as a symbol by other belief systems.

The 5-pointed stars from French Wikipédia:

The five-pointed star is associated with fame (music hall stars, movie stars). It also has a strong association with Islam and other religions, as well as with communism. Finally, it is found as a military symbol.

Hereafter the 5-pointed stars from the EU flag:

langfr-225px-Flag_of_Europe.svg.png


On the following French Website named Vie publique (public life) which is a French government website, the 5-pointed stars flag made for European elections next month are not in the right way... Why? :shock:

europe2019-petit.jpg
 
On the following French Website named Vie publique (public life) which is a French government website, the 5-pointed stars flag made for European elections next month are not in the right way... Why? :shock:

europe2019-petit.jpg
This is weird :huh:. How can that pass to be used publicly if it's a design mistake (found this, but doesn't really explain it)? If it's intentional, then what's the reason?
 
I thought Israel offer as strange. It looks Israel doesn't even have a embassy in Sri Lanka.

This reminded me of Mumbai blasts. US and Israel started offering help and applying pressure on Indian government though they don't want them. It took week or 10 days before Indian govt. even allowed them.
Yes, I found it suspicious too. Netanyahu may want to offer help, so that Sri Lanka will move their embassy to Jerusalem and support Israel's ethnic cleansing in the occupied territories. It could also be that Israel wishes to be on the ground to make sure that certain traces are deleted and that the investigations will come to a result that Israel is happy with.

Israel has for decades been active in Sri Lanka and from what I understand been playing both sides of the conflict in the civil war that raged for a long time. Here is a little snippet from a Connecting the Dots article from 2009:


UN knew before the revelations but did not report, allegedly due to personal relations of UN staff to persons of the government in Sri Lanka, is that the Tamil civilians death toll by government military fire might surpass the 20, 000 in these final weeks of the fighting alone, an account released by Amnesty International, which the UN "chews on", and the government of Sri Lanka refuses. This same government received weaponry and training from the experts at genocide: Israel. Reports reveal that Israel was "also providing weapons and training to Tamil guerrillas in order to maintain a 'market' for Israeli arms suppliers in the civil war-wracked island nation" and that in the 1990's, Sri Lankan president Premadasa, ordered an investigation into charges that the Israeli "Mossad was training both Sri Lankan and Tamil guerrilla forces"; who in turn receive constant artillery shipments from the US; who have population reduction as their foreign policy. And so the chain of obliteration spreads all over the world...

[...]
This means that Mossad without a doubt has an extensive network of eyes/agents/actors on the ground in Sri Lanka, whom they can pull on to further Israel's interests.

There seems to be a distraction galore happening to distract our attention away from the ball. Assange and the crack down on the free press has been massively distracted by Notre Dame and then now with the Sri Lanka bombings. This could be the start of the new normal, with one chaos and traumatizing event after another, conforming to the strategy of tension. Again one is reminded of what Karl Rove said in 2004:
“We’re an empire now, and when we act, we create our own reality. And while you’re studying that reality – judiciously, as you will – we’ll act again, creating other new realities, which you can study too, and that’s how things will sort out. We’re history’s actors . . . and you, all of you, will be left to just study what we do.” (Ron Suskind, NYTimes Magazine, Oct. 17, 2004).

Regarding strategy of tension:

A strategy of tension (Italian: strategia della tensione) is a policy wherein violent struggle is encouraged rather than suppressed. It is usually associated when governments, or security apparatuses within a government, allow or even encourage extremist groups to perform attacks, bombings, murders, and the like. In extreme circumstances, it can even involve agent provocateurs and false flag operations where a terrorist threat is outright invented or created. The goal in such strategies is that such a struggle will rally support behind the military or police forces opposing the radicals, to radicalize opposing movements so that they can be better marginalized, or to permit loosely allied extremist groups to attack enemies of the government. As few organizations would openly say that they are pursuing a strategy of tension, accusations generally come from opponents that such a strategy is being pursued.

Netanyahu cheered when the 9/11 attack happened and said it was good for Israel as people now better could understand how Israelis feel.
On the day of the 9-11 attacks, former Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was asked what the attacks would mean for US-Israeli relations. His quick reply was: "It's very good……. Well, it's not good, but it will generate immediate sympathy (for Israel)"

In a similar way, this attack (just like the Manchester/Madrid/Copenhagen/Boston/etc. attacks), could have the same effect of making people look the other way to the Israeli war crimes in Gaza and the West Bank. As these war crimes has been happening non stop for decades, the need is always there for regular terror attacks to distract and also dull the senses of people with a conscience. This does not mean that Mossad or Israel is behind all the attacks though one can sometimes get that feeling, but they are experts at capitalising on them for their own gain.

That the targets are Christian churches is not something that Israel will cry more than crocodile tears over. Shahak in his book about Jewish history, makes it clear that classical Judaism hates Christianity much more than Islam. A rabbi just a few days ago commented on the fire at Notre Dame:

Today, after the fire in Notre Dame Cathedral, Aviner was asked the following question:

"The great Christian Church in Paris is on fire. Should we feel sorry for that, or should we rejoice, as it [the cathedral] is idolatry, which is a mitzvah to burn?"

The questioner is here referring to the Halachic ruling that churches are considered idolatry, and should be destroyed.

Aviner replied as follows:
"This isn't our job for now. There is no mitzvah to seek out churches abroad and burn them down. In our holy land, however, the issue is more complicated. Indeed, the Satmar Rabbi noted one of his arguments against immigrating to Israel, that here it is indeed a mitzvah to burn churches; and by not doing so, those [immigrating to Israel] are committing a sin. Yet Rabbi Menachem Mendel Kasher, in his book 'The Great Period', rejected the Satmar Rabbi's words, citing a midrash, forbidding burning [churches], since if we burn, we'll have to rebuild, and it's a greater sin to rebuild [a church] than leave it standing. [Here Aviner cites his own book vs. the Satmar Rabbi] That church in Paris, too, will surely be rebuilt."

So if a lot of these things are distractions, what do they distract from? Do they distract from the fact that the empire is crumbling and that they are running scared, trying to use the weapon of chaos in the hope that it will work as nicely as it used to do, only realising that it is not the case? Does they distract from the cosmic threat? or from the imposition of a totalitarian state? These forces of entropy are not creative and will only double down instead of acknowledging that they have lost. Syria shows how this plays out, for despite the fact that everyone knows that the US has lost there, they will take as many Syrian lives as possible on their way out. Psychopaths don't acknowledge defeat and what we see in Syria could be what we will see the world over as the spasms of the empire of chaos comes crashing down in slow motion.

Apologies for going slightly off topic.
 
So if a lot of these things are distractions, what do they distract from? Do they distract from the fact that the empire is crumbling and that they are running scared, trying to use the weapon of chaos in the hope that it will work as nicely as it used to do, only realising that it is not the case? Does they distract from the cosmic threat? or from the imposition of a totalitarian state? These forces of entropy are not creative and will only double down instead of acknowledging that they have lost. Syria shows how this plays out, for despite the fact that everyone knows that the US has lost there, they will take as many Syrian lives as possible on their way out. Psychopaths don't acknowledge defeat and what we see in Syria could be what we will see the world over as the spasms of the empire of chaos comes crashing down in slow motion.

Apologies for going slightly off topic.

Aeneas, I don't see where the information you Posted is veering off topic? I think, background information on current geopolitical events and digging into past associations (like Israel and Mossad) offer valuable tools in narrowing down the energy and forces behind certain tragic events, including what is happening in Sri Lanka right now. Many of these tragic events are multi-tiered with more than one agenda being played out?

Alana Posted a report of an US-Lanka exercise - the ‘Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training Exercise (CARAT) - 2019 that commenced last Thursday. Two US Burke-class destroyers docked in Hambantota Port, the same Port - China was given a 99-year lease on - at the end of 2017. Three days later, on Easter Sunday, all hell broke loose! C.a. Posted a map that pin-pointed the 8 locations of the attacks, all located on the outer coastline of the Island. Just a coincidence? Now with curfew announced, one might get the impression, the island/Sri Lanka is officially "on lockdown" and activity at the Ports will be guarded and movement limited? On the heels of that, Netanyahu enters the picture with Israel is ready to render assistance to the authorities in Sri Lanka “at this difficult hour.” Netanyahu has been pursuing an anti-China Policy for awhile now. Is his "rendered assistance" to limit and block Chinese activities and business connections on the Island - in the so claimed "Chinese expansion" that the US and Israel propagate?

The Sri Lanka Navy welcomes US Destroyer at the Hambantota port - The Island | #AsiaNewsNetwork

Sri Lanka formally handed over Hambantota port to China in early Dec 2017 in terms of a $ 1.12-billion agreement in respect of a 99-year lease of the strategically situated port.

Arleigh Burke-class destroyer USS ‘Spruance’ and Spearhead-class expeditionary fast transport USS ‘Millinocket,’ which is part of the United States Military Sealift Command arrived at Hambantota port on Thursday for CARAT 2019 ...

A Danish Billionaire and his wife lost three - of their four children - in the attacks. I expect, they will demand a full investigation and "the facts", not media hype?

Three children of Danish billionaire killed in Sri Lanka attacks
The Bestseller company owner Anders Holch Povlsen and his wife Anne arrive at the celebration of the 50th birthday of Crown Prince Frederik of Denmark in Royal Arena in Copenhagen, Denmark, May 27, 2018. Picture taken May 27, 2018. Ritzau Scanpix/via REUTERS

The Bestseller company owner Anders Holch Povlsen and his wife Anne arrive at the celebration of the 50th birthday of Crown Prince Frederik of Denmark in Royal Arena in Copenhagen, Denmark, May 27, 2018. Picture taken May 27, 2018. Ritzau Scanpix/via REUTERS

Denmark’s richest man Anders Holch Povlsen and his wife lost three of their four children in the Easter Sunday attacks in Sri Lanka, a spokesman for Povlsen’s fashion firm said on Monday.

The spokesman declined to give any further details but Danish media said the family had been on holiday in Sri Lanka.

Povlsen is the owner of fashion firm Bestseller, which includes brands like Vero Moda and Jack & Jones, and is the majority stakeholder in online retailer Asos while also holding a big stake in Zalando. He owns more than 1 percent of all the land in Scotland, according to Forbes.

Sri Lanka imposes emergency, says international network involved in attacks

Sri Lanka said on Monday it was invoking emergency powers in the aftermath of devastating bomb attacks on hotels and churches, blamed on militants with foreign links, which killed 290 people and wounded nearly 500.

Sri Lanka to seek help tracking international links to attacks
Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena will ask for foreign assistance to track international links to a series of suicide bomb at churches and luxury hotels on Easter Sunday that killed 290 people and wounded more than 500, his office said.

'International network' involved in Sri Lanka bombings: cabinet spokesman

The Easter Sunday bomb attacks in Sri Lanka were carried out with the help of an international network, cabinet spokesman Rajitha Senaratne said on Monday.

Timeline: Sri Lankan bomb attacks on hotels, churches - 20 minutes of carnage
Sri Lankan military stand guard near the explosion site at a church in Batticaloa, Sri Lanka April 21, 2019. REUTERS/Stringer
Here is a timeline of the explosions and subsequent events on Sunday. Many of the attacks were carried out by suicide bombers, police said.

8.45 am – Explosion at Shangri La hotel in Colombo

8.45 am - Explosion at St. Anthony’s Church in Kochchikade, Kotahena, Colombo

8.45 am – Explosion at St. Sebastian Catholic Church in Negambo

8.45 am – Explosion at Kingsbury Hotel in Colombo

8.50 am – Explosion at Cinnamon Grand Hotel in Colombo

9.05 am – Explosion at Zion Roman Catholic Church in Batticaloa

11.30 am – Emergency Security Council meeting held by Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe

11.40 am – Government declares closure of schools across the country for two days

12.15 pm – President Maithripala Sirisena appeals for people to keep calm

1.45 pm - Explosion at New Tropical Inn in Dehiwela, near the national zoo. This was the seventh explosion.

2.15 pm – Explosion at a house in Dematagoda, Colombo, during a police raid (the eighth explosion). Three police officers were killed.

2.20 pm – Officials close down the island nation’s zoo in Dehiwela.

2.30 pm – Government blocks major social media networks and messaging services, such as Facebook and WhatsApp.

2.45 pm – Government declares indefinite island wide curfew.

4.00 pm – All transport services stopped.

4.30 pm – Government declares closure of all state universities indefinitely.

5.00 pm – Special cabinet meeting held, headed by Prime Minister Wickremesinghe.

5.20 pm – Police announce the death toll had risen to 207 with 450 injured.

7.00 pm – Police find a van used to transport explosives.

7.15 pm – Tourism chief says 32 foreigners killed and 30 injured.

8.50 pm – Prime Minister orders a probe into why intelligence services failed to act on a warning about the attacks.

9.30 pm – Police said 13 arrested, all Sri Lankans.

10.30 pm – A petrol bomb attack on a mosque and arson attacks on two shops owned by Muslims are reported in two different parts of the country, police said.
 

A day after hotels and churches were targeted in bombings in Sri Lanka, a broader picture is emerging of the massive and well-coordinated attack.

Although the government had not named suspects by Monday morning, Sri Lanka cabinet spokesman Rajitha Senaratne intimated that the attackers received the help of an international network.”

The death toll climbed to 290 on Monday, making this one of the world’s worst terrorist attacks in history. For Sri Lanka it will become like the Mumbai attacks were to India, 9/11 for the US or Christchurch for New Zealand.

Although many have referenced the fact that Sri Lanka endured years of terrorism and war against separatists, this style of massive attack in the capital is very different. The choice of targets, a mix of luxury hotels and churches on Easter Sunday, points to a very clear strategy that we have seen before in mass terror attacks. It speaks of planning and coordination.

On Monday, details emerged that point to seven suicide bombers as the perpetrators. April 23 has been declared a day of national mourning.

In Sri Lanka, media and local journalists have been trying to sort through the various rumors and bits of misinformation that have spread. For instance, there is still controversy over whether an alleged warning on April 4 was correctly distributed or if security was heightened.

The news about the April 4 warning, including claims it came via a foreign intelligence service, has led to accusations that the country’s leaders and security chiefs failed to act. A local “jihadist group” was named in that warning and subsequently posted by social media groups, but so far the government has remained tight-lipped on assigning blame.

The lack of information has fed rumors as local media reports say up to 24 people have been arrested.

Photos of alleged perpetrators have also circulated online. One includes a picture of an extremist preacher; another allegedly shows a “suicide bomber” waiting in a hotel buffet line.

The suicide bombers are said to be locals. A curfew imposed on Sunday was lifted Monday morning, but might be reimposed soon.

The struggle now for Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe will be to assure the nation that security forces have regained control, and that the government can and will track down the perpetrators. Lessons will be learned from other countries that have faced similar mass attacks.

This includes working with foreign intelligence agencies
to track any assistance that may have come from abroad, and piecing together how such a complex and massive attack was carried out without reports of its planning leaking out.

If, as many reports indicate, the April 4 warning really did point to the group that ends up being responsible, then there will be many demands for answers about the government’s huge mistake.

But if that turns out to be mere hearsay, then the government’s decision to try shutting down social media in the wake of the attack in order to slow the tide of rumors will be shown to have been prudent.
 
yeah, i follow pjw for some long time now, and he is always on the point, because he states the obvious. Obvious in the sense of "overlooking without ideological bounderies", what may explain the fact that not soo many peeps share his view (in proportion to peeps around in total).
 
I'm still kinda shook about the fact that Obama, Hillary and Left Inc. all in sync decided to call the event an attack on "Easter Worshipers". Wonder where that directive came from. Some dastardly PR firm would be the least nasty source. The language these psychopaths create around these attacks is disorienting and inhuman.
 
Last edited:
Back
Top Bottom