Tamil Tiger Suicide Bomber Caught On Tape Exploding At Muslim Parade in Sri Lanka

The attack appeared to target six government ministers attending the community event, including the country's oil and telecommunications ministers. Unconfirmed reports put the toll higher with claims more than 15 had died. The ministers injured in yesterday's explosion were part of a large crowd of Muslims celebrating Mawlid, the birthday of the Prophet Mohammed, in Akuressa, a town on the southern tip of Sri Lanka. Minister of Posts and Telecommunications Mahinda Wijesekara appeared to be the most seriously injured of the ministers and was last night being kept in hospital as doctors decided whether he could be transferred to a hospital in the capital Colombo. HM Fowzie, the country's oil minister described how the explosion left him covered in blood and flesh and surrounded by the bodies of the dead. 'A suicide bomber tried to kill us, but we escaped,' he said. The suicide bomber had approached the ministers on a bicycle before the explosion which killed three local politicians and three students.