A Sri Lankan court found 15 men guilty of involvement in the 2019 Easter Sunday bombings that killed more than 260 people and wounded about 500.

The attacks targeted three churches and three hotels and were inspired by the Islamic State, killing 42 foreigners and devastating communities across Sri Lanka.

Authorities filed more than 23,000 charges against 24 suspects in 2021, including murder, terrorism conspiracy, and weapons and explosives offenses.

Because Sri Lanka has not carried out executions since 1976, death sentences typically result in life imprisonment, NPR has reported.

The Catholic Church has alleged that a larger conspiracy was behind the attacks, while a former police chief and senior defense official were sentenced to death in July for failing to act on warnings of possible attacks.