TERRORISM has once again raised its hydra-like head, this time in Sri Lanka.

At the time of writing, the death toll has reached 359, with over 500 wounded.

We hear the attacks were in retaliation for the mosque killings in New Zealand.

The scale and sophistication of the six simultaneous bombings on Easter Sunday, with two more later, suggest outside expertise, according to Sri Lankan authorities.

Like the Christchurch killings, many of the innocent were murdered at prayer, while others were killed breakfasting in their hotels.

Unlike Christchurch, most victims this time were Christians, including many Westerners, described as members of the “crusader alliance” by Islamic State.

Far from being crusaders, the mostly Catholic Christians in Sri Lanka have long been persecuted, with 1.6 million believers under constant attack, their churches targeted and converts pressurised to recant.

Until now, their oppressors have reportedly been Hindu and Buddhist, but one can now add Islamists.

Of all Christian communities around the world, the one in Sri Lanka ranks in the top 50 of the most persecuted, according to Open Doors, a US monitoring organisation.

Worryingly, and not for the first time, it appears the West is less willing to defend Christians than members of other religions.

Even Britain, while promising an investigation, failed to mention the word Christian once on Sunday.

Meanwhile, the Sri Lankan authorities have some tough questions to answer.

Why, for example, was a recent internal police memo warning of such an attack ignored?

Only two months ago, our own head of MI6 was warning that, despite its recent losses, Islamic State was not yet finished.

Terrorism must never win, but this attack will inevitably add Sri Lanka to the list of potentially lethal tourist destinations in the world.