In Sri Lanka, two suspects allegedly involved in planning an attack in the Arugam Bay area have been arrested. Police Spokesperson Nihal Thalduwa stated that the arrests were made in the Colombo and Jaffna regions by officials from the Terrorism Investigations Division. Further investigations into the incident are currently underway.

The police have said that a special security programme with the deployment of police personnel, the police special task force, and intelligence personnel has been put in place at Arugam Bay to ensure the safety of foreign nationals, their locations, and sites used for religious events by these individuals.

Yesterday, the U.S. Embassy in Colombo issued a travel advisory for its nationals visiting the Arugam Bay Area, following a rise in Israeli tourists and the occupation of a building there. In addition to the US embassy, diplomatic missions of the UK, New Zealand, Australia, and Russia had also updated their travel advisory related to Sri Lanka. Meanwhile, certain social media users had posted regarding the establishment of a makeshift synagogue by Israeli tourists. The posts included images of the synagogue as well as the presence of police and STF for protection.

Arugam Bay, located in the south-eastern Ampara district, is the island’s surf capital, drawing a huge number of tourists every year.