1997 Colombo World Trade Centre bombing

On the morning of 15 October 1997, shortly before 7:00 am, a group of up to six fighters from the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam's (LTTE) Black Tigers unit drove a truck loaded with approximately 350 kg of explosives into the car park of the Galadari Hotel, a five-star hotel in Colombo's business and government district. The attackers first shot and killed four unarmed security guards before detonating the truck bomb by firing a rocket-propelled grenade at it. The Galadari Hotel car park sat adjacent to the western tower of the Colombo World Trade Centre, which had been inaugurated only days earlier and was suspected to be the LTTE's primary target.

After the explosion, the attackers fired assault rifles toward the nearby Sambuddhaloka Viharaya (temple). The temple's Chief Incumbent, Ven. Vitharadeniye Chandrajothi Nayake Thera, was shot in the leg after walking to the entrance to investigate, and was then killed on the spot when fleeing guerrillas threw a grenade. The Sri Lanka Army's Quick Reaction Team responded rapidly, and one of the fleeing attackers was shot dead near the Secretariat Train Halt. Four remaining attackers crossed a rail line and entered the Lake House building through its rear production area, where they took approximately 20 employees hostage.

During the siege, one hostage escaped while fetching water for the attackers and provided the Army with details of the situation inside. Army commander Lt. Gen. Daluwatte ordered an immediate rescue operation. The Air Force airlifted a specialized anti-hijacking and hostage-release commando group from Bandaranaike International Airport, while Colombo-based 112 Brigade troops already at the scene freed the 20 hostages, killing one attacker in the process. When commandos entered the building, one attacker detonated a suicide vest, killing one soldier and injuring another. Commandos then stormed the building again, and a second attacker detonated his suicide vest; the remaining attacker was shot dead by commandos as he attempted to detonate his own explosives.

The attack killed fifteen people in total, including Assistant Superintendent of Police Nissanka Dharmaratne of the Criminal Investigations Department, a police constable, an Army Commando, and the Chief Priest of the Sambuddhaloka Vihara. A total of 105 people were wounded, including 31 tourists, of whom seven were US citizens. The blast left a crater 6.1 m wide and 3.7 m deep, destroyed 30 vehicles in the Galadari parking lot, and shattered windows in the hotel and surrounding buildings, including the Hilton Hotel and the World Trade Centre. The Sri Lankan government set aside a $25 million assistance package for damaged buildings. The Galadari Hotel reopened in January 1998, and the World Trade Centre reopened in June 1998.