Sri Lankan police Tuesday introduced tough security measures in the capital Colombo in the aftermath of Monday evening's bomb blast in the southern suburb, defense officials said.
All vehicles entering the city were thoroughly checked by police and security officials at different points of entry into the city, causing severe traffic problems.
Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) rebels were blamed for Monday's blast at Ratmalana which killed eight people including a police Special Task Force (STF) trooper.
Another 36 people injured by the roadside bomb are undergoing treatment at several hospitals, officials said.
The police said two separate teams have been deployed to conduct the investigation on the truck carrying STF troopers which was the second such attack against the security forces in the capital within a week.
Military spokesman Prasad Samarasinghe said four suspects have been arrested following the Claymore attack.
Samarasighe urged the public to pay attention for any suspicious activity.
"We were able to stop this kind of terrorist attacks in the recent past because the public were alert and provided us with vital information," Samarasinghe said.
Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapakse has ordered a probe into the blast with his government blaming the LTTE for deliberately targeting the civilian population.
Clashes between government troops and LTTE rebels are now an almost daily occurrence in the island country.
About 5,000 soldiers, rebels and civilians have been killed since December 2005 despite the Norwegian-arranged truce in place.
Claiming discrimination at the hands of the majority ethnic Sinhalese-dominated government, the LTTE has been fighting for an independent homeland for Sri Lanka's 12.5 percent Tamil minority since the 1970s.
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