Sri Lanka has extended by another month, the state of emergency imposed after the Easter Sunday attacks. A gazette notification issued by President Maithripala Sirisena extended the emergency with effect from today.

The Gazette said President is of the opinion that the extension was necessary in the interest of public security and the preservation of

public order. The emergency was initially imposed on April 22nd, a day after the attacks and extended by another month.

Government has claimed that the emergency provisions are to grant armed forces necessary powers to act against terrorist activities and doesn’t affect normal life.

Meanwhile, a senior security official has said the Islamic State (IS) may have claimed responsibility for Easter attacks, but it’s chief Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi was initially not aware of the attacks which killed over 250 people including 45 foreigners.

He told a newspaper that the ongoing investigation revealed that a local IS sympathiser had contacted the IS leadership after the attacks and had pleaded with the IS for recognizing the blasts carried out by jihadists. IS had claimed responsibility 48 hours after the attacks, putting several analysts in doubt over its credibility.