The gunmen opened fire on Friday at a church in Manampitiya, 160 kilometers (100 miles) northeast of the capital, Colombo, a police statement said.
Police said the shooting was damaged and no one was injured and the suspect had been arrested.
“Preliminary investigations show that the suspects have targeted the church due to personal hatred with the pastor,” the statement said.
Armed police and troops were deployed to almost all churches nationwide during Easter celebrations, and security intensified after the 2019 attacks.
In 2019, suicide bombers killed 279 people, including 45 foreigners, at three churches and three hotels. More than 500 people were injured in the attack, and officials blamed the officials on a native Islamic group. The Catholic Church commemorates the victims on Monday and declares the “Hero of Faith”.
Catholic minorities in Sri Lanka have maintained a just campaign since the explosion, saying previous investigations failed to answer outstanding questions.
The church accused the continuous government of protecting the people behind the attacks, and several senior investigations have identified links between military intelligence units and bombers.
