Sri Lanka seeks militant monk's arrest
A Sri Lankan court issued a warrant yesterday for the arrest of a radical Buddhist monk accused of instigating arson attacks against the island's minority Muslim community.
Police said the warrant for the arrest of Galagodaatte Gnanasara relates to an accusation of insulting the Koran that dates back to April 2014, months before the outbreak of deadly religious riots.
The magistrate ordered his arrest after he failed to appear for a court hearing into the matter yesterday.
Police are also investigating more than a dozen recent complaints of incitement against Gnanasara, who went into hiding in May, after a series of arson attacks targeting Muslims.
Yesterday, they said they had arrested two of his associates in connection with a petrol bomb attack on a mosque last month.
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