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Kieran Shafritz de Zoysa, a fifth-grade student from the Washington D.C. area, has been identified as one of the American victims in the Sri Lanka Easter Sunday suicide bombings that killed at least 290 people and left another 500 injured.
The death of Kieran Shafritz de Zoysa was announced in an emailed statement from the Sidwell Friends School, which is located at 3825 Wisconsin Ave in Washington, D.C.
Earlier in the day, 40-year-old Denver, Colorado man Dieter Kowalski was identified as another American citizen who was killed in the mass suicide bombing on Sunday, April 21.
In the aftermath of the horrific attack, United States Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has confirmed that several American citizens were killed in the Easter Sunday bombings that were carried out at eight different sites that included churches and hotels.
Three of the eight bombing locations were hotels: The Kingsbury Hotel, the Cinnamon Grand Colombo hotel, and Shangri-La Hote.
At this time, it is unclear exactly where Kieran Shafritz de Zoysa was when he was killed.
In a statement to parents, the Sidwell Friends School clarified that Kieran was on a leave of absence from the school while living and studying in Sri Lanka.
“Kieran was passionate about learning, he adored his friends, and he was incredibly excited about returning to Sidwell Friends this coming school year. We are beyond sorry not to get the opportunity to welcome Kieran to the Middle School,” the school’s statement read.
Authorities in Sri Lanka have since have identified local terrorist group National Thowfeek Jamaath as the people responsible for the bombings.
At the time of this writing, Sri Lankan authorities have arrested a total of 24 suspects in connection to the attacks.
John Amaratunga — the Sri Lankan tourism minister — said that “at least” 39 foreigners were among the victims, with citizens from countries such as Australia, Portugal, Britain, China, Japan, and the United States being among the deceased.
Our thoughts and prayers are with Kieran Shafritz de Zoysa’s friends, family, and various loved ones during this extremely difficult time.
