The Sri Lankan police arrested 10 people on Thursday for their alleged involvement in anti-Muslim attacks by Buddhist groups in the central part of the country this week, Reuters reported. The island nation has been under a state of emergency since Tuesday, but communal clashes have continued in Kandy, the worst-affected city, and nearby areas. At least two people have been killed.

The police said one of the 10 people arrested is part of hardline Buddhist group Mahason Balakaya, which had published videos of hate speech against Muslims. They were brought to Colombo on Friday for interrogation. Nearly 80 people have been detained so far.

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Meanwhile, the police stepped up security around mosques across the country ahead of Friday prayers, AFP reported. Most Muslim-owned businesses were shut on Friday in protest against communal attacks. Army chief Mahesh Senanayake visited Kandy on Thursday and promised increased security near mosques nationwide.

Police said the situation had been largely peaceful in Kandy during the last 12 hours, PTI reported. All schools in the district remained closed. About 3,000 police, 2,500 troops and 750 special task forces were deployed in Kandy.

Authorities imposed a curfew in Kandy again on Thursday night, after lifting it for a few hours. Some rioters still tried to attack Muslim sites, but the Army intervened to prevent arson. The city has been under curfew since a Buddhist man died during clashes with a group of Muslims on Monday. Buddhist mobs have, however, defied the curfew and deployment of security forces and continued to target Muslim localities and destroy stores and restaurants in Kandy and its suburbs.

Social media networks such as Facebook and messaging apps such as WhatsApp and Viber have been blocked across the country since Wednesday to prevent communal violence from spreading.