
ISIS has released footage of the Sri Lanka suicide bombers swearing allegiance to the terror group's leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi before the Easter Sunday massacre.

In the video eight jihadists stand in a circle, touch hands and pledge their loyalty to the elusive ISIS caliph, who has not been seen in public for five years.

With a black ISIS flag hanging in the background, the attackers chant in unison before raising their hands together and pointing to the sky.

ISIS had earlier claimed responsibility for the bombings on Sunday which have killed more than 320 people and wounded hundreds of others.

The massive casualty toll makes the Easter Sunday attack the deadliest overseas operation claimed by ISIS since the group proclaimed its caliphate in 2014.

Pledge of allegiance: ISIS has released this footage of eight fighters apparently swearing loyalty to the terror group's elusive caliph Abu Bakr-al Baghdadi before carrying out the Sri Lanka terror attacks

The eight fighters in the ISIS video raise their arms and point to the sky after swearing allegiance to the jihadists' caliph

ISIS's Amaq news agency released an image on Tuesday showing the jihadis who carried out the devastating bomb attacks last week. Despite the Amaq statement mentioning seven terrorists, eight people can clearly be seen in the photo. Pictured centre is purported National Thowfeek Jamaath leader Moulvi Zahran Hashim

'Those that carried out the attack that targeted members of the US-led coalition and Christians in Sri Lanka the day before yesterday are Islamic State group fighters,' IS propaganda agency Amaq said in a statement.

The group gave the noms de guerre of seven people it claimed were behind the 'blessed attack' that targeted Christians during their 'blasphemous holiday'.

Three of the fighters, named as Abu Obeidah, Abu Baraa and Abu Moukhtar were said to be behind the attacks on the Shangri-La, Cinnamon Grand and Kingsbury hotels.

Another three, said to be Abu Hamza, Abu Khalil and Abu Mohammad carried out attacks on churches in the cities of Colombo, Negombo, and Batticaloa, the jihadists claimed.

The seventh fighter, Abu Abdallah, killed three police officers in an attack in a Colombo suburb, according to the ISIS statement.

Amaq also released a photo of eight men it said were behind the blasts, of whom seven had their faces covered while three of them held knives and one apparently brandishes an assault rifle.

The reason for the discrepancy in numbers - seven fighters named, eight pictured - was unclear. ISIS did not provide evidence for their claims.

Tuesday's claim comes one month after a Kurdish-led Syrian force announced the fall of IS's self-declared 'caliphate'.

The jihadists retain a global network of recruits and have claimed attacks in Iraq, Syria and beyond.

The attacker can be seen wearing a large backpack as he reaches out to touch the little girl, who is believed to be Dilip Fernando's granddaughter. He said yesterday: 'At the end of the mass [my family] saw one young man go into the church in with a heavy bag. He touched my granddaughter's head on the way past. It was the bomber'

Chilling CCTV footage captured one of the bombers patted a little girl on the head moments before walking into St Sebastian's Church in Negombo, Sri Lanka, before detonating a device

This clip, taken from inside St Sebastian's Church in Negombo, shows the suspected suicide bombing walking inside, moments before he detonated a device killing dozens of worshippers

ISIS have now claimed responsibility for the Sri Lankan terror attack, but Sri Lankan officials have blamed two local Islamist groups. Pictured: investigators in St Sebastian's Church in Colombo today

ISIS leader Baghdadi remains elusive despite the capture of his so-called caliphate's last remaining territory in Syria last month.

Experts have said he may be lying low in Syria's vast Badia desert, which stretches from the eastern border with Iraq to the sweeping province of Homs.

Sri Lankan officials believe the co-ordinated blasts may have been carried out 'in retaliation for the attack against Muslims in Christchurch'.

White supremacist Brenton Tarrant is suspected of slaughtering 50 people at two mosques in the New Zealand terror attack last month.

The Sri Lankan attacks are among the worst since 9/11.

Colombo has pointed the finger at little-known Islamic extremist group National Thowheeth Jama'ath (NTJ) but acknowledged that they may have had international help.

Sri Lanka's police chief issued a warning on April 11, saying a 'foreign intelligence agency' had reported NTJ was planning attacks on churches and the Indian high commission.

Pictured: the suicide bomber as he enters the church. The co-ordinated attacks killed 321 people, including 45 children

Pictures which appear to show the suspected suicide bombers, including purported National Thowfeek Jamaath leader Moulvi Zahran Hashim, pictured, pledging allegiance to ISIS are being circulated by ISIS fanatics

The source of the pictures is unclear, and the images have not been distributed through official ISIS channels

White supremacist Brenton Tarrant allegedly slaughtered 50 people at the Al-Noor Mosque and the Linwood Mosque while live-streaming the attack on Facebook. Investigators believe the Sri Lankan attack was 'retaliation'. Pictured: one of the people injured in the New Zealand attacks as they are taken to hospital

Two sons of a wealthy spice trader played a key role in the Easter Sunday bomb attacks, blowing themselves up as guests queued for breakfast at the Shangri-La, pictured today, and Cinnamon Grand hotels in the capital

Pictured: relatives mourning beside the coffin of one of the suicide bomb victims at St Sebastian's Church in Negombo

Tourists scramble to leave Sri Lanka Tourists are scrambling to flee Sri Lanka and cancelling holidays after a string of deadly suicide blasts that have sparked concerns the lucrative tourism industry could be sent into a tailspin. The attacks on hotels and churches came as Sri Lanka was emerging as a leading tourist hot-spot, named the world's top destination for 2019 by a major guide book. The Easter Sunday massacre killed nearly 300 people, including 37 foreigners. German schoolteacher Martin Ewest arrived in the island nation two days ago, hoping for a peaceful holiday with his wife and 12-year-old daughter. But all that changed when he heard about the attacks. 'We want to leave as soon as possible... but our embassy can't help because they are on holiday, our airline says they can't do anything, and our hotel has not offered us any assistance,' the 44-year-old told AFP. 'It's a difficult situation... we are like sitting ducks, waiting until we can leave next week.' Powerful explosions hit three hotels in the capital Colombo - the Cinnamon Grand, the Shangri-La and the Kingsbury Hotel, all of which have closed until further notice. For Pakistani executive Kashif Ali, it was a lucky escape. The 33-year-old had been trying to book his family into the Cinnamon Grand only to be told that no rooms were available. 'We had all these plans to travel around the country but now we are scared to go anywhere,' he told AFP, adding that the blasts brought back disturbing memories of Pakistan's own history of militant violence. 'We came here to escape all this - we wanted to relax, not spend all day in a hotel. Now we are just waiting to leave - it's been a waste of a holiday,' his sister-in-law Sobia Samreen told AFP. At Colombo's international airport, nervous and exhausted travellers lined up to leave the country as heavily armed soldiers manned the entry and exit points. The sense of anxiety was palpable at hotels lining the capital's famed beachfront, with five-star properties such as the Taj Samudra Colombo and the Galle Face Hotel putting extra security in place, including armed guards who prevented anyone but guests from entering. Advertisement

The warning has prompted questions over whether Sri Lankan police did enough to head off fears of suicide attacks on churches.

NTJ leader Zahran Hashmi was linked to the vandalising of Buddha statues on December 26 at the central town of Mawanella and the local Muslim community had been complaining to authorities about Hashmi since 2017.

Residents of an eastern village where he lived had demanded police action over his radical comments and acts, community leaders said.

'He was a threat to moderate Muslims in the east and we had made several complaints,' one Muslim leader told AFP.

The police chief's warnings about the NTJ were not passed to top ministers and a separate investigation is underway into why more was not done to stop the bombers.

Church officials said some were told last week that attacks were possible.

Two Muslim brothers - sons of a wealthy Colombo spice trader - are believed to have been among the perpetrators of the attacks.

They blew themselves up as guests queued for breakfast at the Shangri-La and Cinnamon Grand hotels in the capital, the source said.

The pair were key members of the NTJ, which the government has previously blamed for defacing Buddhist statues, according to an investigation officer.

One brother gave false identity details when he checked into the hotel, but the other gave a real address which led police commandos to their family home in a commercial area of Colombo.

When the Special Task Force went to the house to investigate, one brother's wife set off a bomb, killing herself and her two children.

Three police commandos were killed in the blast, and several extended family members are among those in detention.

'It was a single terror cell operated by one family,' the investigator said. 'They had the cash and the motivation. They operated the cell and it is believed they influenced their extended family.'

A source added: 'What we have seen from the CCTV footage is that all the suicide bombers were carrying very heavy backpacks. These appear to be crude devices made locally.'

When the Special Task Force went to the house to investigate, one brother's wife set off a bomb, killing herself and her two children. Pictured: soldiers patrolling near luxury hotels today

One of the groups, the National Thowheed Jamaath (NTJ), were the subject of an intelligence warning ten days before the blasts. Pictured: a policeman near blood-stained stairs at the St Sebastian Church

Burials for the dead began today in Negombo, pictured. The attacks have sparked local and international outrage, and have been condemned by Sri Lankan Muslim groups

Sri Lanka held a three-minute nationwide silence at 8.30am this morning - the same time the first of six bombs detonated on Sunday morning killing at least 321 people, including at least 45 children

A woman fainted while praying for the victims of the Easter Sunday attacks in the country's capital Colombo earlier today

Konsi Vinifrieda, 62, mourns the death of her 27-year-old granddaughter Hirsushi Kansika before her funeral in Katuwapity village

Flags were lowered to half mast on government buildings, and people bowed their heads and reflected silently on the violence that has caused international outrage

Police have said that at least 310 people have been killed, with another 500 injured. Anthony Jayakody, auxiliary bishop of Colombo said: 'There are so many bodies that we can't accommodate them all at once'

The suicide bombers hit three Colombo luxury hotels popular with foreign tourist and three churches: two in the Colombo region and one in the eastern city of Batticaloa. Pictured: a woman cries next to a coffin of one of the victims

Government mulls burka ban after bombings Lawmakers in Sri Lanka are calling for a nationwide burka ban in an attempt to stop a repeat of last week's deadly bombings. A bill was announced Tuesday on the Facebook page of UNP Parliamentarian Ashu Marasinghe to propose banning the burka. Marasinghe posted a controversial missive on his Facebook page in which he claimed the burka is not a traditional Muslim garment. He also says the Burka has previously been identified as a commonly-used tool of terrorists when carrying out bombing attacks - in order to hide the assailant's identities and weapons. Government officials told Sri Lanka's Daily Mirror that evidence from the deadly attacks is pointing to the possibility of a large involvement by women who escaped from the scene wearing burqas. Ministers and mosque authorities are said to be coordinating on the possibility of a ban alongside President Maithripala Sirisena. Advertisement

A focus of the inquiry will be to find out whether there was a foreign influence in their radicalisation and how the children of such a wealthy family had become involved, an official source said.

'What we have gathered so far is that they had indicated to their close family what they were going to do,' another senior police officer said.

'It looks like they were inspired by foreign terrorist groups, but to what extent they had direct links is still unclear.'

Earlier chilling CCTV footage captured one of the Easter Sunday suicide bombers patting a little girl on the head moments before launching his attack.

The terrorist can be seen sauntering towards St Sebastian's Church in Negombo while wearing a large backpack containing a 'crude device made locally' that was used to massacre Christian worshippers.

It is believed the clip shows the attacker touching the granddaughter of Dilip Fernando, who said: 'At the end of the mass [my family] saw one young man go into the church in with a heavy bag. He touched my granddaughter's head on the way past. It was the bomber.'

The Archbishop of Colombo, Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith, said at least 110 people died in the St Sebastian's blast, the deadliest in a series of attacks against churches and luxury hotels that killed 321 people in total and left more than 500 injured.

Pictured: a man weeps as his walks behind the coffin of one of the victims of the blasts on Easter Sunday

The government has said the National Thowheed Jamaath (NTJ), a little-known Islamist group, was behind the violence, but said they believed the organisation had international help

More than 1,000 mourners gathered at the St. Sebastian church in Negombo, where more than 100 parishioners were killed as they worshipped on Sunday morning

A priest administrates a burial ritual for one of the bomb victims who is being laid to rest in a mass grave in Negombo

Pictured: a member of the clergy walks between coffins during a mass funeral at St Sebastian Church

Officials are investigating why more precautions were not taken after an April 11 warning from Sri Lanka's police that a 'foreign intelligence agency' had reported the NTJ planned suicide attacks on churches

Ethnic and religious violence has plagued Sri Lanka for decades, with a 37-year conflict with Tamil rebels followed by an upswing in recent years of clashes between the Buddhist majority and Muslims. Pictured: relatives mourning during a mass funeral

Sri Lanka attacks among the deadliest since 9/11 September 11 attacks, 2001 - 2,977 killed On September 11 two hijacked planes are slammed into the twin towers of the World Trade Center in New York and a third is smashed into the Pentagon in Washington DC. A fourth, apparently headed for Washington, crashes into a field in Pennsylvania after passengers and crew fight the hijackers. The attacks are claimed by Al-Qaeda. In New York, 2,753 people are killed; 184 die at the Pentagon as do 40 passengers and crew in the fourth plane. Truck bomb in Somalia, 2017 - 512 A truck bomb explodes in a busy commercial district of the capital Mogadishu on October 14, killing 512 people, according to the official toll. No one claims responsibility but the attack, the deadliest in the country, is widely blamed on the Shabaab Islamist group linked with Al-Qaeda. Four suicide truck bombs in Iraq, 2007 - more than 400 On August 14 four suicide truck bombs explode in two villages inhabited by the Yazidi religious sect in Iraq's northern province of Nineveh. The simultaneous attacks leave more than 400 dead. The US military says they are masterminded by an Al-Qaeda militant. Islamist Chechen rebels seize a school in Russia, 2004 - more than 330 On September 1 a commando of Islamist Chechen rebels seizes a school in the North Ossetia city of Beslan, taking around 1,200 hostages including 800 children. After 52 hours of fruitless negotiations, special forces storm in. More than 330 civilians and security forces are killed, including 186 children. A Chechen warlord claims responsibility. Minibus explosion in Iraq, 2016 - 323 On July 3 an explosives-packed minibus blows up in a Shiite area in central Baghdad that is crowded with shoppers just before the end of the fasting month of Ramadan. The attack kills 323 people and is claimed by the Islamic State group. Gunmen open fire in a mosque in Egypt, 2017 - 305 On August 24 about 30 gunmen brandishing the IS flag open fire in the al-Rawda mosque, which is associated with Sufis, in the northern Sinai Peninsula. The attack kill at least 305 people, including 27 children. Suicide bombings, shootings and stabbings in Syria, 2018 - 252 On July 25 the IS group carry out a string of attacks in the Syrian province of Sweida, south of the capital Damascus, targeting the Druze minority. The suicide bombings, shootings and stabbings kill 252 people, mostly civilians, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. Bomb downs plane in Egypt, 2015 - 224 On October 31 a bomb downs a Russian flight carrying holidaymakers from the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheik, killing all 224 people on board, mostly Russian tourists. The attack is claimed by the IS. Series of car bombs in Iraq, 2006 - 202 On November 23 a series of car bombs explodes in Baghdad's Shiite district of Sadr City, killing at least 202 people. An Al-Qaeda leader is blamed. Bombings in Bali, Indonesia, 2002 - 202 On October 12 bombings on a bar-restaurant and a discotheque on the island of Bali leave 202 dead, most of them Western tourists. The attacks are carried out by a Jemaah Islamiyah commando linked to Al-Qaeda. Advertisement

Forty people are now under arrest over the suicide bomb attacks - the worst atrocity since Sri Lanka's civil war ended a decade ago.

Today Sri Lankans across the country took part in a three-minute silence, with people bowing their heads and reflecting silently on the violence as flags were lowered to half mast on government buildings.

The silence began at 8.30am, the time that the first of six bombs detonated on Sunday morning, unleashing carnage at high-end hotels and churches packed with Easter worshippers.

The first memorial services for the victims, among them dozens of foreigners, were being held today, hours after the government imposed a state of emergency.

At St Sebastian's Church in Negombo, an elderly man wept uncontrollably by the coffin bearing the body of his wife. More than 1,000 mourners gathered at the church where more than 100 parishioners were killed.

Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith, the archbishop of Sri Lanka who led the service, urged other churches to delay memorials amid fears that more bombers may be at large.

'The security forces have not cleared the situation yet ... there could be more attacks on public gatherings,' he told reporters.

'I urge priests to not conduct any services at churches until I notify.'

At St Anthony's Shrine in Colombo - where scores died as they gathered for Easter Sunday prayers - a few dozen people held candles and prayed silently, palms pressed together.

Tensions remained high and security heavy after a bomb discovered by police on Monday near one of the targeted churches blew up before police could defuse it. Although there was a powerful blast, no injuries were reported.

Police also found 87 bomb detonators at a Colombo bus station.

The suicide bombers hit three Colombo luxury hotels popular with foreign tourists - the Cinnamon Grand, the Shangri-La and the Kingsbury - and three churches: two in the Colombo region and one in the eastern city of Batticaloa.

Two additional blasts were triggered as security forces carried out raids searching for suspects.

Interpol said it was deploying investigators and specialists to Sri Lanka, and the US State Department warned of possible further attacks in a travel advisory.

Ethnic and religious violence has plagued Sri Lanka for decades, with a 37-year conflict with Tamil rebels followed by an upswing in recent years of clashes between the Buddhist majority and Muslims.

In 2009, Sri Lankan security forces defeated Tamil Tiger rebels who had fought to create an independent homeland for the country's ethnic minority Tamils.

The rebels were eventually crushed but a religious divide has taken hold in recent years.

A Christian group said there had been 86 cases of discrimination, threats and violence against followers of Jesus last year, with another 26 so far this year.

The U.S. State Department warned in a 2018 report that Christians had been pressured to close places of worship after they were deemed 'unauthorised gatherings'.

The report also said Buddhist monks regularly tried to close down Christian and Muslim places of worship.

There have also been attacks on Muslims, with the government forced to declare a state of emergency amid a spate of anti-Muslim rioting.

Hard-line Buddhist groups accuse Muslims of forcing people to convert and destroying sacred Buddhist sites.

One radical Muslim group, the NTJ, has been linked to the vandalisation of Buddhist statues and has also reportedly plotted to attack Christian churches.

Out of Sri Lanka's total population of around 22million, 70 percent are Buddhist, 13 per cent Hindu, 10 per cent Muslim, and seven per cent Christian, according to the country's 2012 census.