Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena has assured the nation that he would take steps to curtail terrorism and bring back normalcy swiftly. He said he will make immediate changes in the high-security positions as there was negligence in carrying out responsibilities.

The President said although there was an intelligence report about the attacks, he was not informed about them.    At least 18 persons suspected of being involved in the attacks were arrested overnight.

Earlier, Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe said security forces are trying to prevent further attacks. He said that India has shared specific intelligence about the attacks and that there is strong cooperation between the two countries on terrorism. He added that investigations are on to probe ISIS links.