By DPA
Colombo : A lorry laden with more than 1,000 kg of explosives was stopped by the police in northwestern Sri Lanka – the biggest such detection in the country's long conflict with Tamil rebels, the military said Saturday.
The detection was made at Kotavehera, 80 km north of Colombo, Friday night when the police stopped the lorry at a checkpoint.
The lorry driver and his assistant, both Tamils, have been detained.
Police officials who stopped the truck said the explosives were packed on both sides of a coconut shipment to conceal them. Police said the explosives were C-4.
"All wires to the explosives were linked and only the final connection need to be made to trigger off the explosion", a police officer involved in the detection said.
A military spokesman said the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) may have been on their way to a target but more details would only emerge after the suspects are questioned.
More than 450 newly recruited soldiers were due to celebrate graduation Saturday in Puttalam, about 440 km away, but it was unknown whether the ceremony was the target.
The military has recently stepped up operations against Tamil rebels in the north and east. In an apparent effort to divert attention of the security forces, two claymore mines exploded Monday in Colombo area killing nine people, including seven civilians.