A gunman opened fire on a church in Manampitiya village in Sri Lanka on Friday night, bringing security concerns even days before the nation’s Easter Monday memorials for the survivors of the 2019 Easter bombings.
The killing damaged a chapel window, causing a sharp police investigation even though no injuries were reported.
The incident took place at around 7 p.m. ( local time ) at the Living Christ Church in Manampitiya, which is located about 160 kilometers northeast of Colombo, the capital.
Preliminary studies suggest that the assume had targeted the cathedral due to a personal animosity with the pastor, according to a police statement cited by media company AFP.
According to Daily Mirror Sri Lanka, the suspect, 38-year-old Manampitinian citizen, was detained after police received a tip-off and launched a search function.
He was able to retrieve a locally produced gun that was thought to have been a part of the firing.
The man approached the temple wall, appeared to be assessing the place, returned to the road, fired one shot before fleeing, according to witness accounts obtained during the preliminary analysis.
Police are continuing to look into the incident.
The attack comes as Sri Lanka is still on high alert for the Easter holiday. With the Easter Sunday bombings of 2019 that killed 279 people, including 45 foreigners, this year, six years since the deployment of armed police and military personnel have been carried out on almost all churches on the island, especially now that almost all of them are located there.
In the coordinated suicide attacks on three churches and three hotels, over 500 people were hurt.
In a special memorial on Monday, the Catholic Church will formally honor the bombing victims as” Heroes of the Faith.”
However, many in the Church continue to voice their frustration over what they claim is a lack of accountability and transparency. According to AFP, the Church has repeatedly accused successive Sri Lankan governments of protecting those who have connections to the bombers. Previous high-level investigations have suggested connections between the perpetrators of the attacks and military intelligence units.
