Suicide bomber tries to assassinate Sri Lanka minister

A female suicide bomber disguised as an office worker blew herself up in the heart of Colombo today, killing one person in an apparent attempt to assassinate a Sri Lankan government minister, the military said.

The attack took place outside the office of Douglas Devananda, the minister of social services and the leader of the Eelam People’s Democratic Party, an ethnic Tamil party seen as a rival to the Tamil Tigers rebel group, the military said.