Colombo: Sri Lanka has banned face coverings in public, following a spate of suicide attacks on Easter Sunday that killed at least 250 people and injured hundreds. President Maithruipala Sisirsena said he was using an emergency law to impose the restriction from today, reported BBC and CNN.

Any face garment which “hinders identification” will be banned to ensure national security, the President’s Office said. The niqab and burka — worn by Muslim women — were not specifically named. The move is perceived as targeting the garments, however.

“President Maithripala Sirisena took this decision to further support the ongoing security and help the armed forces to easily identify the identity of any wanted perpetrators,” according to a press release from the President’s Office.

Sri Lanka has a sizeable and centuries-old Muslim population — out of 21 million, just under 10% are Muslim. Only a small number of women are thought to wear the face-covering niqab, or the burka — a one-piece veil that covers the face and body.