At least eight people have been killed and several people, including Sri Lanka's senior military commander, have been injured in a suicide bomb attack inside the country's main military compound in the capital, Columbo.
It is believed a female suicide bomber managed to get inside the compound.
The attack is said to have born all the hallmarks of the Tamil Tiger rebels, who have been fighting for more than two decades for an independent homeland in the northeast of the island.
The blast calls into question a government ceasefire with the rebels, and comes as peace envoys from Norway try to coax the rebels to return to peace talks in Switzerland.
Sri Lanka's north and east have been rocked by riots this month as the peace process between government and Tigers remains deadlocked.
