ISIS claimed responsibility Tuesday for the Easter Sunday attacks in Sri Lanka that killed at least 321 people, as an image emerged of three men said to be among the suicide bombers with a flag of the terror group in the backdrop.
The three men in the photo released by pro-ISIS TV channels have been identified as Abu Ubaida, Abul Barra and Abul Mukhtar, according to the International Business Times.
Ubaida, who also is known as Zahran Hashin, is said to be an operative for the National Thowheed Jamaath, a jihadi group in Sri Lanka, the Times of India reported.
Officials blamed both the National Thowheed Jamaath and Jammiyathul Millathu Ibrahim for the attacks, claiming they were retaliation for shootings at mosques in New Zealand.
In the image, Ubaida is the one with his face uncovered, clutching an assault rifle, while the others are wearing black and white scarves.
The three are raising their index fingers in a common salute among ISIS extremists, according to the IB Times.
“The perpetrators of the attack that targeted nationals of the countries of the coalitions and Christians in Sri Lanka before yesterday are fighters from the Islamic State,” according to a translation of a statement released by the terror group’s Amaq news agency.
Intelligence agencies believe the three men were part of the deadly mission, according to the Times of India.
“The given names are typical of how IS identifies its Inghemasis (fighters) after they pledge allegiance to Abu Bakr al Baghdadi. But Ubaida figuring in these pictures, which have the same background, does indicate that NTJ had direct affiliation with IS,” an intelligence officer was quoted as saying by the news outlet.