Sri Lanka government on Monday said there was no evidence to back claims that the Islamic State (IS) terrorist group was operating in the island nation. Defense Secretary Karunasena Hettiarachchi said while there were reports of a Sri Lankan man joining the IS, there was no concrete evidence to suggest the group was operating in Sri Lanka.

A Sri Lankan national who was better known as Abu Shuraih Sailani in the IS organization was killed in an airstrike in Syria in July while fighting for the militant group. He was allegedly the first Sri Lankan member in the IS.

Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickramasinghe had soon after instructed the police to arrest and question the family members of the suspected militant and investigate what links he had with the IS militants.

Meanwhile, Hettiarachchi told reporters that the country's national security would not be relaxed and the military would remain alert for potential threats from domestic and foreign elements.

(Xinhua)