Prominent Sri Lankan journalist Lasantha Wickramatunga was shot dead in Colombo by unidentified gunmen on Thursday, said police officials.
Wickramatunga, who was the editor of Sri Lanka's Sunday Leader newspaper, was shot dead by unidentified gunmen on two motorcycles in a suburb area south of Colombo when he was on his way to work, officials said.
Wickramatunga, who was seriously injured in the incident, succumbed to his injuries in a hospital after three hours of surgery, they added.
Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapakse expressed his shock and grief on Wickramatunga's assassination, and ordered a police investigation into the incident.
Meanwhile, European Commissioner for External Relations and European Neighborhood Policy Benita Ferrero-Waldner condemned Wickramatunga's assassination and urged the Sri Lankan government to provide adequate security for the journalists in the country.
Wickramatunga's killing comes two days after gunmen attacked MTV and Sirasa TV studio complex in the Colombo suburb of Pannipitiya on Tuesday. Police investigations into the incident are progressing, but no one has been arrested so far.
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