Police in Thailand on Wednesday released a sketch of the man they believe carried out the bombing at a popular shrine in central Bangkok that killed 20 people.
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Police now say they have identified two more possible suspects in the bombing outside the Erawan shrine on Monday.
Prawut told reporters Wednesday night that police would continue to scrutinize closed-circuit TV footage of the area from before the blast for clues about suspects.
The premier noted that CCTV cameras at both the Rajprasong intersection – where the blasts outside the temple occured – and Sathorn pier have given authorities clear indications of the suspects’ movements.
Speculation has swirled about the motive and identity of the bomber and his supposed accomplices.
Critics say the draft is undemocratic and meant to help the army secure power and curb the influence of elected politicians.
“We think the investigation team will ask for the arrest warrant tonight”, said police spokesman Prawut Thawornsiri.
The police issued an arrest warrant seeking for “a foreign man, unnamed, according to the sketch” and announced a reward of one million baht (USD 28,000) for any information on the suspect.
In the footage, two men, dressed respectively in red and white, appear to be standing close to the primary suspect as he drops a black backpack at Erawan Shrine 15 minutes prior to the explosion.
A day after suspecting the role of a foreign man, Thailand today ruled out involvement of global terror groups in the deadly attack in the Brahma temple here on Monday that killed 20 people.
He failed to give any further details, but did refute previously expressed fears that Chinese citizens (four of whom died) had been the focus of the attack, claiming they were not the “direct targets”.
It comes as authorities released new images of a tuk tuk driver authorities want to speak to following Monday’s deadly attack, the Bangkok Post reports.
Those comments came during a nighttime patrol Wednesday of Soi Cowboy – one of Bangkok’s most famous red-light districts which is packed with foreigners – which was created to reassure visitors.
Checks at airports and other exit points found that no one matching the description of the main suspect had left the country since the attack, police said.
“It would make his life miserable”, Prayuth said, adding the man must have been hired to plant the bomb.
Buddhist monks led prayers at the shrine as it reopened this morning while devotees laid bundles of clothes to represent the lost loved ones.
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The blast comes at a sensitive time for Thailand, which has been riven for a decade by a sometimes-violent struggle for power between political factions in Bangkok.
