Lanka police gets 3-month detention order to question four men arrested over recovery of explosives

Sri Lankan police has obtained a three-month detention order to interrogate four men, suspected to be the members of a radical Muslim group, arrested over the seizure of some 100 kilos of high explosives and 100 detonators in north western Sri Lanka.

The police's CID (Criminal Investigations Department), found some 100 kilos of high powered explosives, 100 detonators, 20 litres of nitrate acid, wire codes and two firearms at Wanathavilluwa police division on Thursday.

The four men arrested by the CID, includes the owner of the land where some of the explosives were buried.

The CID on Friday obtained a three-month detention order from the defence secretary to interrogate the four suspects.

The defence secretary is empowered to grant a detention order for 90 days.

Acoording to media reports, a radicalised local group of Muslims is said to be behind the explosives seized on Thursday.

Police are investigating if the explosives have any connection to a group of people arrested recently at Mawanella, a minority Muslim area in the south western region, who had attacked Buddhist statues in the country in an apparent attempt to spark tensions between majority Buddhists and minority Muslims.

The investigations on the Buddhist statue attacks had led to the information on the explosives, the police said.