Easter attack leader died in hotel bombing

Sri Lankan people urged to stay away from churches, mosques on Friday

An extremist leader considered a central figure in Sri Lanka's Easter suicide bombings died in the attacks, the country's president said on Friday as the police chief became the latest figure to quit over the failure to prevent the massacre, Agence France-Presse reported.

With the country still on edge, heavy security was put in place for Friday prayers at mosques, and authorities revised down the bombings' toll to 253 dead from 359, saying some badly mutilated bodies had been counted twice.