Authorities were urgently investigating a claim by the Islamic State group that it staged what was one of the worst militant strikes on civilians in Asia. IS claimAmid the frantic hunt for suspects, Islamic State claimed responsibility for the strikes and released photos and video of the men it said took part or organized the attacks. Islamic State called them “blessed attacks” on the “infidel holiday”. The authenticity of the images could not be independently verified but experts said the attacks bear many of the hallmarks of a coordinated Islamic State operation. In the video released by Islamic State, a man believed to be NTJ leader Zahran Hashim leads the group in a pledge of allegiance to Islamic State group chief Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.

Source: Egypt Independent April 24, 2019 08:03 UTC