Sri Lankan opposition leader shot dead

A lone gunman shot and killed a prominent Sri Lankan opposition leader at an election rally outside the capital, Colombo, yesterday, Reuter reports from Colombo.

Lalith Athulathmudali, a former minister and leader of the Democratic United National Front, died from his injuries at Colombo's General Hospital, police said. The assailant escaped.

Athulathmudali, who was 57, served in the cabinet between 1977 and 1991 before breaking with the ruling United National Party to form the opposition front. As national security minister in the 1980s, he was in charge of operations against Tamil rebels.