The Sri Lankan president has said that international drug trafficking rings are behind the deadly Easter bombings in Sri Lanka, although the authorities have previously attributed these attacks to Islamic militants.
This comes amid strong nationwide anti-drug measures and efforts by President Maithripala Serecina to reinstate the death penalty for drug offenders.
Authorities said a local group, the National Tawheed Group, was responsible for the suicide bombings of churches and hotels that killed at least 258 people in April. The Islamic State Organization later claimed responsibility for the attacks.
After the bombings, Sericina's office said local terrorists and international terror groups were responsible for the attacks.
But in a statement issued by his office on Monday, Sericina said the attacks were "the work of international drug dealers."
"Drug barons carried out this attack to discredit me and thwart my efforts to fight drugs," he said. "This will not deter me."
The death penalty
Seressina is battling to counter efforts by his ruling coalition to abolish the death penalty, which has been suspended since 1976.
A spokesman for Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe rejected the president's remarks.
"Police have completed the investigation in about two weeks," Sodrishana Gunawardana told AFP. "There is no mention of the involvement of drug dealers," he said. "We have no reason to doubt our investigators."
Police officials said investigations into the April 21 suicide bombings were continuing, and that all the more than 100 Sri Lankans detained.
"We are acting on the grounds that this is a planned crime carried out by a group of Sri Lankan Muslims who have gone to extremes," a senior police official told AFP, speaking on condition of anonymity.
"All those involved in the attacks have either died or are being held," he said.