The National Touhid Jamaat is believed to have split from the non-political organization Sri Lankan Touhid Jamaat (SLTJ) in 2016 to form a new organization. The Jatiya Tawhid Jamaat was denounced by the country's Muslim leaders for its extremist initiation of children and its involvement in clashes with Buddhist monks in Sri Lanka in 2016. During the anti-Muslim violence in Sri Lanka in 2016, NTJ was involved in the destruction of many Buddhist statues. The group promotes extremist ideologies based on violence against the Rohingya in Myanmar , anti-Muslim violence in Sri Lanka, and violence against Muslims in India and around the world. Jahran Hashim, leader of the Jatiya Tawhid Jamaat, is suspected of being the mastermind behind the 2019 bombings in Sri Lanka , spreading hateful comments and videos against non-Muslims on social media. Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena has said he was killed in a suicide attack on the Shangri-La Hotel. Bombing in Sri Lanka in 2019 Main article: Bombing in Sri Lanka in 2019 Ten days before the bombing in Sri Lanka in 2019, a police officer in Sri Lanka informed the higher authorities about the possibility of an attack on a church in Antigua. His report said NTJ was planning a suicide bombing targeting the famous church and the Indian High Commission in Colombo. Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe said government officials had not received any " reports " on the matter so that they could take " extra precautions". " After the terrorist attack, the country's health minister, Rajitha Senaratne, confirmed at a press conference on April 22 that the National Touhid Jamaat was linked to the terrorist attack and that foreign organizations were suspected of having links with the terrorist group . IS, on the other hand , has claimed responsibility for the attack.