Four killed in mosque attack

UNIDENTIFIED attackers lobbed grenades into a mosque in the East yesterday, killing four men at prayer and wounding at least 25, police said.

The blasts ripped through the mosque in Akkaraipattu in Ampara, while hundreds of devotees were praying, a police spokesman in Ampara said.

The attack came a day after Muslims in the area defied LTTE pressure to boycott Thursday's presidential elections, which were marred by sporadic violence in the volatile Eastern province.

Police and troops have stepped up security in the region and President-elect Mahinda Rajapakse was sending a special emissary to the region in a bid to defuse the situation, a spokesman said. - AFP