Suicide bombings in Sri Lanka
Suicide Bombing was a popular tactic of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam. According to Jane's Information Group, between 1980 and 2000, the LTTE carried out 168 suicide attacks causing heavy damage to civilian, economic and military targets.
The Sri Lankan economy and the Sri Lankan Army have been targeted on numerous occasions, including during a high-profile attack on Colombo's International Airport in 2001 that caused damage to several commercial airliners and military jets. The LTTE terrorist organization was also responsible for a 1998 attack on the Buddhist shrine, and UNESCO world heritage site, Sri Dalada Maligawa in Kandy that killed 8 worshippers. The attack was symbolic in that the shrine, which houses a sacred tooth of the Buddha, is the holiest Buddhist shrine in Sri Lanka. Other Buddhist shrines have been attacked, notably the Sambuddhaloka Temple in Colombo that killed 9 worshippers.
The LTTE's Black Tigers have carried out the assassination of Rajiv Gandhi, who was killed in 1991 using a prototype suicide vest, and Ranasinghe Premadasa, assassinated in 1993.
On Easter Sunday 2019, approximately 250 people died in six separate suicide bombings in churches and hotels. The local group National Thowheeth Jama'ath, was suspected.
List of suicide attacks
| Attack | Date | Location | Death toll | Sources |
| Sinking of SLNS Sagarawardena | September 20, 1994 | Off the coast of Mannar, North Western Province | 25 | |
| Dehiwala train bombing | July 24, 1996 | Dehiwala, Western Province | 64 | |
| 1997 Colombo World Trade Centre bombing | October 15, 1997 | Colombo, Western Province | 15 | |
| 1998 Temple of the Tooth attack | 25 January 1998 | Kandy, Central Province | 17 | |
| Assassination of Neelan Tiruchelvam | July 29, 1999 | Colombo, Western Province | 3 | |
| Central Bank bombing | January 31, 1996 | Colombo, Western Province | 91 | |
| Bandaranaike Airport attack | July 24, 2001 | Bandaranaike International Airport, Western Province | 16 | |
| 2006 Digampathana bombing | October 16, 2006 | Digampathaha, Dambulla North Central Province | 92–103 | |
| 2008 Sri Lanka bus bombings | 2008 | 32 | ||
| 2008 Weliveriya bombing | April 6, 2008 | Weliveriya, Western Province | 15 | |
| 2008 Fort Railway Station bombing | February 3, 2008 | Colombo Fort, Western Province | 12 | |
| Suicide Air Raid on Colombo | February 20, 2009 | Colombo, Western Province | 2 | |
| Akuressa suicide bombing | March 10, 2009 | Akuressa, Southern Province | 14 | |
| 2019 Sri Lanka Easter bombings | April 21, 2019 | Negombo, Batticaloa, and Colombo | 253 |
History
The first prominent suicide bombing by the LTTE occurred in 1987 when Captain Miller drove a truck laden with explosives into a Sri Lankan army camp killing 40 soldiers. He is heralded by the LTTE as the first Black Tiger.The use of suicide bombing by the LTTE became notorious in the 90s when they developed a unique suicide bomb vest that would be emulated by terrorist groups around the world including the Middle East. On May 21, 1991, the LTTE had Thenmozhi Rajaratnam blow herself up at a campaign rally for Rajiv Gandhi, killing him and 14 other bystanders.