The two attackers appear to discuss their plans in the lift before walking into the Shangri-La hotel's restaurant

As hotel guests have an Easter Sunday breakfast the bombers detonate their devices in a cloud of smoke

At least 321 people were killed on Easter Sunday, 45 of them children, while more than 500 were injured

Two sons of wealthy spice trader are believed to have blown themselves up using 'crude devices' at hotels

Another chilling clip earlier showed a different bomber patting a girl on the head just before launching attack

ISIS has claimed responsibility and released footage of the fighters swearing allegiance to the jihadist group

CCTV footage has revealed the moment that two suicide bombers took a lift to the restaurant of Sri Lanka's Shangri-La hotel before they blew themselves up.

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Wearing backpacks, the two men appear to discuss their plans in the elevator on the second floor in the final moments before the Easter Sunday massacre.

The bombers then enter the Table One eatery almost unnoticed while hotel guests are having breakfast before he detonates his deadly weapon.

In a split second the plush restaurant becomes a scene of horror as the bomb explodes in a cloud of smoke and bright red flame.

Sri Lankan officials believe one of the attackers at the Shangri-La was the son of a wealthy Colombo spice trader, and one of two Muslim brothers among the perpetrators of the Easter attacks in which more than 300 died.

Ilham, whose wife Fatima blew herself up when police raided their mansion in an exclusive part of Colombo, is pictured alongside an accomplice bomber entering the second-floor restaurant at the Shangri-La hotel before the deadly attack

Ilham and his fellow bomber (pictured) are seen exiting the lift on the second floor of the Shangri-La Hotel and appear to discuss their plans outside the elevator in the final moments before their Easter Sunday massacre

A second chilling CCTV clip captured another of the bombers patting a little girl on the head moments before walking into St Sebastian's Church in Negombo, Sri Lanka, before detonating a device

The wealthy brothers - sons of a millionaire spice trader - are two of nine jihadis who carried out the devastating bomb attacks in Sri Lanka. They are believed to be pictured here alongside National Thawheed Jamaath leader Moulvi Zahran Hashim

The other brother blew himself up at the Cinnamon Grand in the wave of almost simultaneous attacks on Sunday morning, detectives believe.

One brother checked into the Cinnamon Grand hotel and the other the Shangri-La on Saturday.

The next morning, at virtually the same time, they went to the hotels' Easter Sunday breakfast buffets and blew up explosives-laden backpacks, it is believed.

Another bomb tore through a restaurant at the nearby Kingsbury hotel while similar explosions devastated three churches.

Authorities investigating the attack, which has killed more than 300 people, have described the heavy backpacks worn by the suicide bombers as 'crude devices made locally'.

Among the victims at the Shangri-La were three of the four children of Danish ASOS billionaire Anders Holch Povlsen.

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Earlier chilling CCTV footage captured one of the suicide bombers patting a little girl on the head moments before he launched his attack at St Sebastian's Church in Negombo.

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 said at least 110 people died in the St Sebastian's blast, the deadliest in the series of attacks against churches and luxury hotels.

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

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

Sri Lanka's defence minister Ruwan Wijewardene earlier said that preliminary investigations suggested the co-ordinated blasts were 'in retaliation for the attack against Muslims in Christchurch'.

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White supremacist Brenton Tarrant allegedly slaughtered 50 people at two mosques in the New Zealand city of Christchurch on March 15 while live-streaming the shooting on Facebook.

ISIS has claimed responsibility for the blasts and published a video appearing to show the bombers swearing allegiance to the terror group's elusive caliph before the attacks.

The Sri Lankan minister blamed two different local Islamist groups for the co-ordinated suicide bombings - but Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe admitted today there may be 'some links' with ISIS.

The National Thowheed Jamaath (NTJ), who were the subject of an intelligence warning ten days before the devastating blasts, have been named as responsible, raising questions about why more precautions were not taken.

Wijewardene also named another local group, Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen India (JMI). Little is known about JMI, other than reports it was established last year and is affiliated to a similarly named group in Bangladesh.

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

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

The brothers, whose names have not been revealed, were in their late twenties and operated their own 'family cell', an investigation officer said. It is not known where their parents are.

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.

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.

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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.'

The pair were both key members in the NTJ, but it was not clear what ties they had to the other bombers involved in the devastating attacks against three high-end hotels and three churches.

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.'

The group also planned another attack at a fourth hotel, but the suicide bomber either failed to detonate his device or decided against doing so.

After the Shangri-la blast, staff at the unnamed hotel the would-be attacker checked into became suspicious and reported him to police.

The man was tracked to a lodging near the capital, where he blew himself up when confronted by police, killing two bystanders.

Police are also currently on the hunt for a van and a lorry that are believed to be carrying explosives, reports News 1st. They are also on the look out for three motorbikes, a cab and a van.

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

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'

Wijewardene has blamed 'weakness' within Sri Lanka's security apparatus for failing to prevent the nine bombings.

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.

'By now it has been established that the intelligence units were aware of this attack and a group of responsible people were informed about the impending attack,' he said. 'However, this information has been circulated among only a few officials.'

Wijewardene also said the toll from coordinated bombings at churches, luxury hotels and other sites now stands at 321 people dead and 500 injured, with several people dying of their injuries overnight.

UNICEF spokesman Christophe Boulierac told reporters in Geneva that 45 children have died, but that many others 'are wounded and are now fighting for their lives', meaning the toll among minors could rise.

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.

The attacks were also the worst ever against the country's small Christian minority, who make up just seven percent of the 21 million population.

Investigators are now hunting for clues on whether the local Islamist group named as the chief suspect - National Thowheeth Jama'ath (NTJ) - received 'international support', said cabinet minister and government spokesman Rajitha Senaratne.

He said it was not possible for such 'a small organisation' to carry out such well co-ordinated suicide strikes.

President Maithripala Sirisena's office said there was intelligence that 'international terror groups' were behind the local perpetrators and that he would seek foreign help to investigate.

The state of emergency, which gave police and the military special powers to counter militant strikes, came into force at midnight. Suspects can be detained without a court order.

A second straight night-time curfew was also put in place, but lifted before dawn.

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.

Spokesman Senaratne said the warning was not passed on to Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe or other top ministers.

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.

More details have begun to emerge about some of the foreigners killed in the blasts.

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

The United States reported at least four Americans killed - including a child - and the Netherlands raised their toll to three.

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.

Danish billionaire Anders Holch Povlsen lost three of his children in the attacks, a spokesman for his company said.

Eight Britons, eight Indians and nationals from Turkey, Australia, France, Japan and Portugal, were also killed, according to Sri Lankan officials and foreign governments.

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.

Burials were expected to begin for some of the dead on Tuesday.

At St Sebastian's, the atmosphere was heavy with grief as coffins were brought in the grounds one at a time for services.

'There are so many bodies that we can't accommodate them all at once,' Anthony Jayakody, auxiliary bishop of Colombo, told AFP.

The attacks have sparked local and international outrage, and have been condemned by Sri Lankan Muslim groups, with one urging the 'maximum punishment for everyone involved in these dastardly acts'.

Killed as they fled: British brother and sister survived first Sri Lankan terror blast when a suicide bomber struck as they were having breakfast ... only to die in second blast in the hotel corridor

A British teenage brother and sister escaped one of the Sri Lankan terror blasts only to be killed by a second, it was revealed last night.

Daniel Linsey, 19 and his younger sister Amelie, 15, were having breakfast with their father Matthew at the luxury Shangri-La Hotel in Colombo before their flight home.

The teenagers somehow survived when a suicide bomb was detonated among the diners, including many tourists. But they died moments later when a second bomber struck as they tried to escape the carnage.

They are among hundreds of people massacred – including six more Britons – after suicide bombers cut down tourists and Easter Sunday mass worshippers, including dozens of children.

Devastated Mr Linsey, 63, an American city fund manager, returned to the family home in central London yesterday to be with his British wife Angelina, 51, and his other two sons – aged 12 and 21 – who were not on the holiday.

Amelie Linsey, 15

Her brother Daniel Linsey, 19, (pictured) was also killed in the blast at the hotel. Daniel lived in London with his fund manager father

Mr Linsey The Times: 'You can't describe how bad it was. People were screaming. I was with my children. I couldn't tell whether they were all right, it was dark. I was worried there would be another blast. We ran out — another blast.

'We both went to where the lifts were and I couldn't move them, they were both knocked out. My son looked worse than my daughter. I tried to revive him.

'A lady said she'd take my daughter. I carried my son downstairs to an ambulance, we took him to the hospital. I yelled, "Please help my son, please help, please help".

David Linsey, 21, told the Mail the family were on the last day of their Easter break: 'They were due to fly home that day and had been having breakfast when the first bomb went off.

'My dad said they were all caught up in a second explosion as they tried to escape. Both my brother and sister were instantly unconscious and were taken to hospital but they never woke up. My dad is shocked and has not said much apart from that. He is trying to be strong for my little brother who is 12 and my mum.'

Amelie Linsey on a recent trip to Vietnam. She was killed, aged 15, in the Easter Sunday terror attack in Sri Lanka which claimed 310 lives including eight Britons

Mr Linsey was said to have had suffered shrapnel wounds to his face and was yesterday being comforted by relatives at the family home. Oxford graduate David described how his father initially hoped Amelie had survived the impact of the blast as she had no major visible injuries.

'At first they didn't think Amelie was injured badly as there were no obvious wounds. Someone else took her to hospital but she must have had internal injuries.

'I think they both died instantly as they never woke up. We cannot believe this has happened. I can't describe just how devastating it is. You don't think it will happen to you. We miss them so much already,' he said.

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The devastated brother said the family has decided not to watch the news and were not ready to hear emerging questions about security blunders which could have prevented the deadly attacks.