Masked gunmen opened fire at an election rally headlined by Finance Minister Ravi Karunanayake in Sri Lanka’s capital on Friday, killing a woman and wounding 12 other ruling party activists, police said.
The attackers sprayed bullets into the crowd of 500 to 600 people drumming up support for the ruling United National Party (UNP), marking the first major violence ahead of the August 17 parliamentary elections.
While there was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack in Colombo, Karunanayake blamed supporters of former strongman president Mahinda Rajapakse who is looking to stage a comeback at the polls.
“The gunmen travelled in two vehicles and escaped in the same vehicles after the shooting spree,” police spokesman Ruwan Gunasekera told AFP.
“A woman was killed and 12 wounded persons have been admitted to the Colombo National hospital.” Hospital sources said two of the victims were in a “very critical” condition.
The minister said he was “seconds away” from the shooting although initial police reports said he had just left the area when gunmen got off two vehicles and opened fire indiscriminately.
“I was seconds away — or about 20 feet from the incident,” Karunanayake told reporters in Colombo. “This is nothing but an act of political terrorism sponsored by the opposition led by Rajapakse.”
