SL arrests monk, policeman

COLOMBO: Sri Lankan authorities on Sunday arrested a police officer and a Buddhist monk accused of leading an arson attack against a mosque and a Muslim business amid a wave of religious violence.

Deputy Inspector-General Priyantha Jayakody said the policeman, a monk and two others were caught on camera torching the buildings in Panadura just outside the capital Colombo.

"They were taken after analysing CCTV footage which showed them setting fire to a mosque and a Muslim-owned book shop at Panadura last month," Jayakody told reporters in Colombo.

The arrested policeman, a constable stationed at Colombo, was accused of stoking racial and religious tensions, Jayakody added, describing the arrests as a "breakthrough" in efforts to curb the outbreak of violence.

Police say the four accused are close associates of Galagodaatte Gnanasara, a Buddhist extremist who heads a group of radicals blamed for a slew of arson attacks against Muslim businesses, cemeteries and mosques.