Sri Lanka’s police reimposes night curfews after new anti-Muslim riots

Sri Lanka’s police arrested over 100 suspects and reimposed night curfews in violence-prone areas on Wednesday after anti-Muslim riots.

Police spokesman Ruwan Gunasekera said 78 people arrested in the worst-affected North Western Province were remanded in custody, while the rest were detained after a manhunt in other areas.

Some 5,500 additional police were deployed in the province to contain the violence that claimed the life of a Muslim man on Monday, AFP reports. Scores of private homes, Muslim-owned shops and businesses were destroyed, while several mosques were also vandalized.

Muslims in Sri Lanka have been bracing for revenge attacks since three churches and three luxury hotels were bombed by local Islamic extremists on April 21, killing 258 people.