Sri Lankan authorities are investigating the source of funding to terrorist organisations that may be operating in the country, Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe said in an interview on Thursday.
"Well there has been money coming in from Saudi Arabia over the last 20, 30 years to religious organisations ... I don't know who are the agencies who sent it. I mean Saudi Arabia or the Middle East has been the source of many of those funds and some of it has gone into these extreme organisations," the prime minister told AP.
Mosques hold Friday prayers despite warning
Some mosques in Sri Lanka held Friday prayers despite the potential for attacks after the Easter suicide bombings.
At 12:10 pm (local time), the call to prayer echoed through the Masjidus Salam Jumma Masjid mosque in the capital Colombo.
"We are sending a message to extremists that we will not be scared or deterred," said Reyyaz Salley, chairman of the Dawatagaha Jumma mosque.
"But the main reason we are here is because we want to say a special prayer for the victims of the church bombings," he added.
Sri Lankan authorities had asked Muslims to pray at home rather than attend communal Friday prayers that are the most important of the week.
Armed police stood guard outside mosques on Friday. (TRTWORLD)
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