Colombo, June 23: A suspected LTTE gunman today shot dead a police officer from an anti-terrorism unit on the outskirts the Sri Lankan capital, police said. Inspector N Thabrew was shot in the head while he was asleep at the Dehiwala police station, officials said.
As policemen tried to arrest the gunman, he swallowed cyanide, a trade mark of the rebel Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), police said.
The condition of the assailant was not immediately known, they said, adding that earlier, a suspected Tiger had survived a similar suicide attempt.
Police said the latest killing was similar to a spate of shootings blamed on the LTTE.
The government has accused the LTTE of carrying out killings of rival Tamils and intelligence operatives in recent months, despite a ceasefire.
Over 30 people have been killed by suspected LTTE gunmen since the ceasefire came into effect on February 23 last year. Bureau Report