12 Civilians Killed by 'Fair Maiden of Death'

At last 12 people were killed and over 90 others injured, some seriously, when a LTTE female suicide bomber blew herself up on the 3rd platform of the Fort Railway Station at 2pm today. Six school boys, all from the D.S. Senanayake College (Colombo) baseball team and their coach were among those killed.

The suicide bomber was a young woman, light skinned and very attractive. She had disembarked from a train plying from Matara to Vavuniya. Since it is impossible to stop and check trains like buses, the Security Forces and the Police, who are on Red Alert ahead of tomorrow's 60th Independence Day Celebrations, had put in place a special security arrangement at the Fort Railway Station to check all passengers disembarking from trains.

Some eye witness accounts claimed the woman had moved towards an exit, but then turned back and was heading towards the stairway on Platform 3 when the explosion occurred. Seasoned military analysts investigating the case told us that it was unlikely for her to have targeted civilians, when she could have caused more damage by blowing herself up inside any of the carriages packed with people, like the one in which she had arrive to Fort from Matara.

It is uncharacteristic for the LTTE to use individual suicide bombers like this to hit civilian targets, unless they become victims of collateral damage during an attack on a military, political or economic target. Suspicions are that the bomber got agitated by the checking or that the suicide jacket short-circuited. Another bomb, possibly a hand grenade exploded inside the Dehiwala Zoo today. This is not considered the work of the LTTE.

Meanwhile some high level security arrangements are in place in Colombo as of tonight (nothing to do with blast), in anticipation of a possible LTTE plan to upset tomorrow's celebrations. The Woman may have been part of a much larger scheme.