Linked To International Terror, Another Bomb Explodes In Sri Lanka Today
The group believed responsible for the attacks is linked to international terrorism, officials say.
This morning, another bomb exploded in Sri Lanka as officials tried to disarm it.
"The bomb squad was called to a van they thought was suspicious," said Janis Mackey Frayer.
"They looked inside and found an explosive device. As they tried to diffuse it, it went off. This is after finding a bomb at several airports. Secondary explosions are a tactic of many militant groups. It's part of the reason the government is imposing a state of emergency tonight to try to get a handle on public safety as they figure out who is behind the violence."
"There's a domestic group authorities are blaming for the attacks. Who are they?" Stephanie Ruhle asked.
"It's not an official blame, but several members of the government are pointing to a group called the National Thowheed Jamath. They believe they had international help. Authorities are stunned by how coordinated the attacks were. There are three explosions at churches, three explosions at hotels at pretty much the same time. The forensic evidence they have collected from the six sites show they were suicide bombers that carried out the attacks. We have the FBI on the ground and another team combing through the disaster scenes, trying to find evidence. They are experts in counterterrorism and in identifying victims."
"Officials reportedly did get some kind of warning before the attacks took place?" Ruhle asked.
"Well, this is the other troubling part of the investigation," Frayer said. "Officials have admitted they have warnings about ten days ago that something could happen. There was intelligence that was coming from other countries. The question is, why did nobody act on it? The secretary of defense today told NBC News they just didn't think anything would happen to quickly and it would be of such magnitude. It is staggering with death tolls hovering near 300. More than 500 people are injured. At least 35 foreigners are dead, including at least two Americans. The state department issued a travel advisory warning visitors here that the threat level does remain."