The Sri Lankan government, survivors, and observers accuse the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) of committing the crime.

[1] In response, hundreds of Tamil civilians were massacred in the east by security forces with the help of Muslim home guards.

[1] They also claimed the LTTE attacked Muslim villages, and burning their shops and homes, on the basis of suspecting them of supporting the government.

[9] At around 8:10pm, the rebels entered the Meer Jumma Masjid, Hussainiya, Masjid-Jul-Noor and Fowzie Mosques, where hundreds of devotees were attending Friday Isha prayers.

[2] [11] [12] As the civilians knelt in prayer when the Tamil rebels attacked them, spraying automatic fire and hurling hand grenades at the worshippers.

Speaking to the New York Times, Mohammed Ibrahim, a 40-year-old businessman said: "I was kneeling down and praying when the rebels started shooting.

"[1]Mohammed Arif, a 17-year-old student who also survived the massacre told the New York Times: "Before I escaped from a side door and scaled a wall, I saw a Tiger rebel put a gun into the mouth of a small Muslim boy and pull the trigger.

[2] All the victims were buried in a cemetery at the Meera Jumma Mosque, where mourners dug a long common grave for a row of coffins.

The UTHR(J) reported that the attack was the result of localized anger against Muslims over the violence against Tamils in the Eastern Province.