SW News: U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo visited the St. Anthony’s shrine in Kochchikade, Colombo, to pay tribute to the victims of last year’s Easter Sunday explosions.

Mike Pompeo and Secretary of Defense Mark T. Esper had reached Colombo on  October 27 after meeting their Indian counterparts in New Delhi.

Along with his wife, Pompeo visited the shrine which was one of the sites of the 2019 terrorist attacks that killed more than 200 people. He laid a wreath at the shrine and the couple spent a few moments in prayer.

“We stand with the Sri Lankan people and the world to defeat violent extremism and bring perpetrators to justice,” Pompeo tweeted.

On April  21,2019, a series of eight explosions shocked Colombo. The terrorists targeted three churches in Negombo, Batticaloa and Kochchikade besides three luxury hotels. Dozens of people attending Easter services were killed and hundreds were injured.