The Sri Lankan government on Sunday rejected claims that Muslim extremist groups are undergoing training in the country to carry out attacks in India.

Brigadier Ruwan Wanigasooriya, the Defense Ministry spokesman, said such claims are baseless.

He noted that Sri Lanka, a small country, cannot be used for training by groups for terrorist activities without going undetected.

“When the army itself cannot find land to conduct its own training exercises, there is no chance of other groups training on Sri Lankan soil,” he said.

… Singapore-based Sri Lankan terrorism expert Dr Rohan Gunaratna was quoted by Indian media as saying that terror cells have been functioning in Sri Lanka, the Maldives and India, posing “a severe threat” to the entire region.