COLOMBO, Dec 5: Police claimed on Tuesday to have seized a lorry fitted with explosives and arrested five Tamil Tigers.

Investigators say the five suspects could have launched a major terrorist attack.

The lorry seized from the Southern district of Matale had been dismantled and re-fixed with powerful explosives, the police said.“They could have been planning to explode the lorry either in Matale or in Colombo,” said a police officer.

According to the police, the suspects have told that the lorry has been imported from oversees by the LTTE to carry out a suicide blast.

Following a string of bombings triggered by the rebels in Colombo and other regions, the Sri Lankan capital has been transformed into a militarily-fortified city.

“There is much more public vigilance now than in the past and several LTTE suspects have been prevented from carrying out their deadly acts due to tip-offs provided by civilians,” a military source said.

In a bid to encourage the public to be on the look out for terrorist activities, the police have began giving out cash rewards for those who have successfully helped in averting such incidents.

The respondents were also asked if they were better off than they were four years ago. In five of the six countries covered in the survey, attitudes were down.