By Walter Jayawardhana

Police arrested an army bomb expert who allegedly planted a bomb in a school van that killed a 12 year old child and seriously injured 12 others , most of whom were students and parents who came to drop them off to the vehicle.

Police said the arrested man who is an army sergeant had admitted he had planted the bomb to go off when the engine was started in the van over a dispute with the owner of the vehicle.

Police spokesman Nimal Mediwaka said the explosion took place near the North Western provincial town of Kurunegala.

The Army man had left his barracks without permission from his superiors last Thursday night planted the bomb but told the police that he had no intention of killing any children but the owner of the van. Seven other children between 7-11 were among the children who were admitted to the Kurunegala Hospital.

The admission cleared suspicion that a remnant of the Tamil Tigers would have exploded the bomb. The Tamil Tigers were notorious for attacks against civilian targets before it was finally crushed by the Sri Lanka Army last May.