Sri Lanka police arrest three people after threat to Israelis at popular tourist spots
US Embassy in Colombo warns of possible threat to Israeli tourists
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Sri Lankan police arrested three people over a threat to Israeli travellers after heightening security at popular tourist attractions.
The Indian Ocean island’s elite Special Task Force (STF) have scaled up security in three tourist hubs, including capital Colombo, after the US Embassy in Colombo warned of a possible threat to Israeli tourists.
Three suspects have been taken into custody and are now being interrogated, said minister of public security and foreign affairs, Vijitha Herath.
But he declined to give more information, saying that would hamper the investigation.
On Wednesday, authorities said they raised security around Arugam Bay, a popular surfing destination in the country’s east, as well as Weligama and Ella after receiving intelligence from another country about a possible threat to Israeli travelers.
A day later, Mr Herath said the information received did not include specifics on the nature of the threat but warned that an “attempt will be made to create disturbances” targeting places where Israel nationals conduct religious gatherings.
Israel’s national security council has also called on Israelis to immediately leave some tourist areas in southern Sri Lanka over the threat.
Sri Lanka, famed for its pristine beaches, tea plantations, and historic temples, is seeing a resurgence in tourism as the island nation recovers from a severe financial crisis.
Currently, 575 Israel nationals are on the island, the minister said.
The US embassy in Sri Lanka alerted Americans to avoid the Arugam Bay area until further notice due to “credible information warning of an attack targeting popular tourist locations” in that area.
Measures such as road blocks and vehicles checks have been put in placed with army and navy troops deployed among other security measures to protect tourists who will be visiting the country during the year-end season.
In 2019, eight simultaneous suicide bomb attacks on three tourist hotels and three churches on Easter Sunday killed 269 people, jolting its tourism industry.
In the first eight months of this year, 1.5 million tourists arrived in Sri Lanka, including a total of 20,515 from Israel, government data showed.
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