The Sri Lankan government said on Saturday that the recent killings in the country, including that of a prominent underworld figure, appear to be an attempt to undermine the ongoing investigations into high-profile criminal cases such as the 2019 Easter Sunday suicide bombings.

The government’s response came following this week’s courtroom shooting that left the underworld figure dead. The incident sent shockwaves across the country, leading to the opposition probing the government’s measures to tackle the spate of violence.