A suspect accompanying the woman suicide bomber was arrested yesterday just after the bomb explosion killing nine police personnel, four civilians and injuring 24 persons outside the Prime Minister's office. Latest investigations by the security officials have revealed to the Daily News that the suspect had come to a foreign agency nearby. The woman's behavior had been suspicious and the two women security personnel had asked for the national identity card. In order to converse with her, assistance was sought from a translator from Prime Minister's office. The woman had claimed to come from Batticaloa to get a visa from the Saudi Arabian Embassy. She then has cried and resisted the body-search before detonating the explosives strapped around her body when the two women security personnel had suspected the identity card was false.

     Passers by had gathered around the woman police constable to see how the body search was done when the bomb exploded, killing the civilians, security officials said. However, there had been no traffic on the road at that time. The parapet wall by the road outside the Prime Minister's Office was damaged.

     Meanwhile, hospital sources have reported to the Daily News that out of the 24 injured persons, 6 persons had sustained serious injuries.

     Investigations are still in progress.

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