The bomb attack at a central Bangkok shrine Monday that killed 20 people was carried out by a “network”, Thailand’s national police chief said on Wednesday.
Advertisement
Besides the aforementioned man dressed in a yellow T-shirt, two more men in red and white T-shirt respectively are suspected to be involved in the blast, the police spokesman said.
On Wednesday the police issued an arrest warrant for an unidentified man it’s thought may have planted the bomb.
He faces six charges including conspiring to commit premeditated murder and conspiring to commit a bombing that resulted in death and severe injuries.
Police said Thursday one of the men in the video is now known to be a Chinese tourist and the other was his Thai tour guide.
Thai police offered a reward equivalent to $28,000 for tips that would lead to the suspect’s arrest.
“From this incident, it is apparent that there are active individuals or groups that harbor the intention to damage Thailand, who may be pursuing political gain or other intentions by damaging the economy and tourism”, Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha said Tuesday.
Earlier, two men captured on surveillance video entering the shrine ahead of Monday’s bombing turned themselves in, but it does not appear they’re linked to the attack, Prawut said.
He said police believe the bomber had accomplices.
“I am confident that there are Thais involved but I am not saying it is just Thais or that there are foreigners”, he said.
The man’s ethnicity is not clearly visible in the video and originally Thai authorities say that he could either be a domestic or foreign terrorist.
A second explosion happened on Tuesday.
The footage of the young man with shaggy dark hair shows him entering the shrine compound with a backpack on, sitting down against a railing and then slipping out of the bag’s straps.
It claimed the lives of at least 13 foreigners – from Britain, China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore.
The Interpol “Blue Notice” asks its global membership to collect additional information on a suspect. No one has claimed responsibility for the blast at one of the capital’s busiest intersections during evening rush hour. They said those who took photographs at the site in the days before the attack should contact Australian federal police.
Advertisement
The Bangkok bombing has captivated people across the country, but attacks in southern Thailand have killed more than 6,500 since January 2004, according to Thitinan Pongsudhiral, chairman of the Center for Strategy Studies at Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand.
