Sri Lanka begins trial of 25 accused of plotting 2019 Easter bombings

FILE PHOTO: Family members look at the grave of one victim of April 21's Easter Sunday bomb attack in 2019, next to St. Sebastian's Church, one of the attacked churches, during the second anniversary, in Katuwapitiya, Sri Lanka, April 21, 2021. REUTERS/Dinuka Liyanawatte

COLOMBO (Reuters) - A Sri Lankan court on Tuesday began the trial of 25 men accused of plotting the Easter Sunday bombings that killed nearly 270 people in 2019, as lawyers warned of a protracted and complicated legal battle ahead.

The suspects were brought under heavy guard in batches from different prisons by police to the Colombo High Court during the morning hours.