Police fired teargas to break up stone-throwing Muslim mobs outside a police station in the Sri Lankan capital Colombo yesterday, witnesses here said.

Hundreds of devotees poured out of a mosque after Friday prayers and attacked vehicles and police to protest what they called attacks against their community at a town in central province earlier in the week, witnesses said.

More than a dozen vehicles were damaged in the mob violence here, witnesses said adding that a large number of police were brought to the area in anti-riot squad trucks.

The situation in the Maradana area of Colombo was brought under control following the deployment of a large number of anti-riot squad police but the mobs moved further northwards to the commercial area of Pettah.

Police said security had been stepped up to prevent further violence in the capital amid tension that prompted many shop keepers to put up shutters.

A gasoline station was also attacked by the mobs, but police said they were lucky to have

avoided a major fire.

Police said the situation in the town of Mawanella, 90 kilometres (56 miles) northeast of here, remained calm Friday after rioting on Wednesday that left one man dead and 20 others injured. Some 90 shops, 10 houses, two garment factories and 11 cars were also damaged.