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Australian police investigated Sri Lanka bomber five years ago

A soldier stands guard St. Anthony's Shrine in Colombo on April 26, 2019, following a series of bomb blasts targeting churches and luxury hotels on Easter Sunday in Sri Lanka. - Authorities in Sri Lanka on April 25 lowered the death toll in a spate of Easter bombings by more than 100 to 253, admitting some of the badly mutilated bodies had been erroneously double-counted. (Photo by Jewel SAMAD / AFP)        (Photo credit should read JEWEL SAMAD/AFP/Getty Images)
One of the nine men suspected of carrying out the Sri Lanka attacks was previously investigated for radical ties while living in Australia (GETTY)

The Sri Lankan suicide bomber who lived and studied in the UK and Melbourne was investigated by Australian security services in 2014.

Intelligence emerged linking him to an Islamic State (IS) recruiter four years ago, prompting an investigation into Abdul Lathief Jameel Mohamed, 36, by Australia’s Joint Counter Terrorism Team

Abdul Lathief is one of nine suicide bombers responsible for the devastating attacks across Sri Lanka on Easter Sunday.

According to a report, the earlier investigation took place after intelligence linked Mohamed, who was studying in Melbourne between 2009 and 2014, to several Australian terrorist targets.

The devastating synchronised bombs ripped through Sri Lanka on Easter Sunday (PA)
The devastating synchronised bombs ripped through Sri Lanka on Easter Sunday (PA)

One of them included Neil Prakash, an established online radicaliser who was standing trial in Turkey at the time.

Prakash, 27, is said to be associated with Isis operatives who used the internet to radicalise young Muslims.

However there is no evidence that Abdul Lathief and Prakash knew each other in Melbourne.

According to the The Times, the Kingston University student failed to blow up a fourth explosive at the five-star Taj Samudra hotel.

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After fleeing to a safe house he then killed two people when he detonated his bomb at a guesthouse near Colombo zoo.

Mohamed’s sister Samsul Hidaya told the Daily Mail: ‘He had a long beard and had lost his sense of humour.’

Upon his return to Sri Lanka, Abdul Lathief complete courses in radical Islamic teaching, before travelling to Syria to join ISIS, before returning to Sri Lanka again.

Australian counter-terrorism police said it would assist Sri Lankan authorities and are looking at Abdul Lathief's time living in Melbourne.

(SKY NEWS)
(SKY NEWS)

The Australian Federal Police refused to say whether the suspect known to them or whether he was radicalised while living in Australia.

A spokesperson said: ‘As there is an ongoing investigation into the attacks, it would not be appropriate to comment.’

Family friends said Abdul Latheif, who spent a year studying at Kingston University in 2006, was being monitored by police in Sri Lanka as he plotted the terror attacks with other suspected jihadis.

His identity was reported after officials in Sri Lanka claimed one of the suicide bombers may have studied in the UK.

The death toll from the attacks has been revised down by Sri Lanka from 359 to 250.