Sri Lankan Defence Secretary Kamal Gunaratne said that security agencies received 97 warnings prior to the 2019 Easter Sunday attacks that targeted churches and luxury hotels in the island-nation and claimed the lives of over 250 people.

Addressing a gathering at the Sri Lanka Foundation Institute, he said that despite receiving the warnings, those who were responsible had overlooked its graveness and severity and failed to prevent the carnage, the Daily Mirror newspaper reported on Sunday.

"Last week, we seized over 1.5 kg of high explosives and some 90 odd detonators from Mannar. In addition, the military has also taken a few remote control devices. If we also overlooked those incidents, none of these would have been recovered.

"We will never leave room for separatism from the North to rise nor extremism from the East to spread fear and destruction in this country ever," Gunaratne said, adding that national security and defence were paramount for country's development.

He said without securing them, it was impossible for a country to progress and develop.

"I assure you that there will be no room for separatism in this country now and ever."

On April 21, 2019, three churches in Negombo, Batticaloa and Colombo and the hotels -- Shangri-La, Cinnamon Grand, Kingsbury and Tropical Inn -- in the capital city were targeted in the series of coordinated suicide bombings, which apart from the victims also injured more than 500 people.

Sri Lankan authorities attributed the attacks to little-known local Islamist extremist groups, National Thowheeth Jama'ath and Jammiyathul Millathu Ibrahim.

However, the Islamic State terror group claimed the attacks.

The unprecedented attacks raised serious doubts on the security and intelligence networks of the country.

The Criminal Investigations Department had arrested 119 suspects, of which 40 continued to be in custody, while the Terrorist Investigation Division has arrested 78 others.

The attacks completely paralyzed the island nation for a few weeks, while its important tourism industry took a massive hit.

After a number of countries issued travel advisories against visiting Sri Lanka, tourism dipped by 70.8 per cent last May, according to statistics released by Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority.

The country received just 1.9 million visitors in 2019, an 18 per cent drop compared to the year before. (IANS)