The rioters initially attacked the Muslim population in retaliation of the Easter bombings , which saw a series of terror attacks carried out by ISIS-backed National Thowheeth Jama'ath ( NTJ ) . It subsequently escalated to Islamophobia , after more incidents and a number of rumour-based news articles worsened the situation . Fears of xenophobia were also evident in early June
Easter bombings
2019 Sri Lanka Easter bombings
2019 anti-Muslim riots in Sri Lanka