Amid terror threats for Israeli nationals in the Arugam Bay area of Sri Lanka, police have arrested three people in the country, media reports said.
Minister of Public Security and Foreign Affairs Vijitha Herath told The Times of Israel that the suspects had been taken into custody and were being interrogated.
The elite Special Task Force (STF) have heightened security in Colombo, Weligama and Ella as well, a day after the US Embassy in Colombo gave a warning of a possible terror threat in Arugam Bay, a senior defence source told Daily Mirror.
The Sri Lankan leading newspaper said that additional police and STF forces have also been deployed outside Jewish prayer houses, better known as ‘Chabad Houses’ in these areas to prevent any harm to the Israeli community and tourists residing here.
Roadblocks have been put up in Weligama to protect business establishments run by Israeli nationals.
Israel’s National Security Council on Wednesday directed all Israeli citizens to immediately leave Arugam Bay and the south and west coastal areas of Sri Lanka.
“The travel alert for Arugam Bay and the coastal areas in south and west Sri Lanka (including for the cities Ahangame, Galle, Hikkaduwa and Weligama) has been raised to level 4. We recommend leaving these areas immediately. For those currently in these areas, we recommend leaving the country or at least traveling to the capital city Colombo, where there is a heavier presence of local security forces,” read the security alert.
“For the rest of Sri Lanka, the travel warning has been raised to level 3, and we recommend that Israelis planning to travel to Sri Lanka delay any non-necessary trips to the country. If you do travel to Sri Lanka, avoid the areas for which level-4 travel alerts have been issued,” the statement said.
Following the alert issued by the government, 22 Israeli nationals have left Sri Lanka.
The US Embassy in Sri Lanka said in a statement that it had received credible information warning of an attack targeting popular tourist locations in the Arugam Bay area.
“Due to the serious risk posed by this threat, the Embassy imposed a travel restriction on Embassy personnel for Arugam Bay effective immediately and until further notice,” the Embassy said in a statement.
According to reports, Sri Lanka’s Muslim population has criticised Israel for the war in Gaza and Lebanon.
Several anti-Israel rallies were held in the country in the past.
Israel has engaged in the ongoing war in Gaza ever since Hamas attacked on October 7, 2023.
Sri Lanka has not recorded any terror attack ever since the Easter Sunday bombings in 2019.
