Sri Lankan police have apologised after they wrongly identified a US woman as a suspect in the Easter Sunday attacks.
Amara Majeed is a Muslim activist and author who wrote a book, titled The Foreigners, to combat stereotypes about Islam.
“I have this morning been FALSELY identified by the Sri Lankan government as one of the ISIS Easter attackers in Sri Lanka,” she tweeted.
“What a thing to wake up to!”
Around 253 people died and hundreds were injured in the Sri Lanka attacks, where suicide bombers struck several hotels and churches.
A photograph of Amara Majeed was released by Sri Lankan authorities identifying her as a suspect linked to the bloodshed.
The name attached to the picture was Abdul Cader Fathima Khadiya – but the picture was of Baltimore-born Ms Majeed, whose parents are from Sri Lanka.
“This is obviously completely false and frankly, considering that our communities are already greatly afflicted with issues of surveillance, I don't need more false accusations and scrutiny,” Ms Majeed wrote on Twitter.
“Please stop implicating and associating me with these horrific attacks,” Ms Majeed urged. “And next time, be more diligent about releasing such information that has the potential to deeply violate someone's family and community.”
Sri Lankan police confirmed the error in a statement, saying “the…
