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Chilling video of Lankan suicide bombing released

The woman suicide bomber who made a futile attempt to assassinate Sri Lankan Minister Doughlas Devananda here looked unperturbed and relaxed just before blowing herself up.

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COLOMBO: The woman suicide bomber who made a futile attempt to assassinate Sri Lankan Minister Doughlas Devananda here looked unperturbed and relaxed just before blowing herself up, a chilling video of the bombing released here showed.
     
The images captured from the Close Circuit Television cameras installed at the minister's office, showed the young bomber, suspected to be a LTTE cadre, in full control of herself while overcoming the initial security layer.
 
"I was just about 25 to 30 feet from the suicide bomber and I am used to such attempts being made on me," Devanada had said after the futile assassination bid on him.
 
Clad in a yellow sari and a white shawl, the assassin, 24-year-old Sujatha Vagawanam from Vavuniya, was seen answering questions and approaching the Personal Relations Officer in a small waiting room. She sought an audience with the Social Services and Social Welfare Minister Douglas Devananda.
 
According to officials, the suicide bomber perhaps chose to hide the detonator and explosives in her inner clothes to escape detection.
 
The video, released on Friday by police, gave a rare sight of the suicide bomber's last moments and the immediate aftermath of a devastating attack.
 
Her impetuous decision to explode herself before trying to get inside the Minister's chamber was surprising considering she had put up a calm and brave face for getting closer to the Tamil politician, seen as a rival to the LTTE.
 
Steven Peiris (72), Public Relations Officer of the Minister seemed firm in asking her to get checked before getting into Devanada's chamber. Peiris asked her to sit on the side.
 
After nearly a minute and a half, he began gesturing for her to sit down in a nearby cluster of white plastic chairs, apparently to await a security check.
 
She then stood up facing Peiris, reached her right hand to her right shoulder to grab something and exploded.
 
Peiris and the bomber, both of whom were killed, flew backward. The others in the room scrambled in all directions, some falling over their chairs in their haste to escape as a cloud of smoke hung in the air.
 
The explosion besides killing Peiris injured two body guards and three persons who had come to seek redressal from the minister as it was a public day.
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