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The wealthy spice trader father of 2 of the suspected Sri Lanka bombers has been arrested and accused of aiding his sons

The father of two of the suspected Sri Lanka Easter Sunday bombers is now in custody, accused of aiding and abetting his sons in the attack.

mohammad yusuf ibrahim
  • Mohammad Yusuf Ibrahim is a wealthy Colombo spice trader. His sons Ilham and Imsath are believed to have carried out the bombings of the Shangri-La and Cinnamon Grand hotels on Sunday.
  • When officers showed up at the family's villa on Sunday, authorities say that Ibrahim's daughter-in-law blew herself up, killing herself, her two kids, and three police commandos in the process.
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A wealthy Sri Lankan spice trader has been arrested and accused of helping his two sons carry out two of the Easter Sunday bombings in Colombo, officials say.

Police spokesman Rowan Gunasekera told CNN on Thursday that Mohammad Yusuf Ibrahim is in custody, along with all other known members of the family in the country. They are among about 70 people who have been arrested in connection to the bombings since Sunday.

Ibrahim is the founder of Ishana Exports, which sells spices like black pepper, white pepper, nutmeg, cloves and vanilla. According to the company's website , it has been the "largest exporter of spices from Sri Lanka since 2006."

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The BBC reports that Ibrahim was "well known" in the country. Sri Lanka's former president once lauded Ibrahim for "outstanding service provided to the nation," according to the New York Times .

Ibrahim's son Ilham is believed to have carried out the bombing at the Cinnamon Grand Hotel, while his brother Imsath is said to have attacked the Shangri-La Hotel. The attacks happened when many families were eating breakfast at the hotels in celebration of Easter. So far, more than 350 people have been pronounced dead in the bombings, which took place at Christian churches and upscale hotels in three cities across the South Asian island.

According to "Good Morning America" , one of the sons ran a copper factory where it's believed the explosives may have been made.

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Investigators were led to the Ibrahim family's villa on Sunday, but when they arrived, a woman believed to be the wife of one of the brothers blew herself up, killing herself, her two kids and three police commandos in the process, authorities said.

Sri Lankan government spokesman Sudarshana Gunawardana also revealed to CNN on Thursday that Ilham Ibrahim had previously been arrested by police, and then released. It's unclear when that prior arrest happened, what it was for, or why he was released.

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