Thai police say the bomber who is being hunted over the explosion that killed 20 people at a Bangkok shrine did not act alone.
Advertisement
The image shows a young man with glasses and shaggy hair, and was created using facial recognition technology.
Police released photos from security camera footage showing a man at the blast site.
Pol Lt Gen Prawut said he hoped the suspect was still in the country as immigration authorities have been on full alert at all airports and border checkpoints and now have the sketch to help them.
The sketch of the man was released by the Royal Thai Police on Wednesday.
A reward of Bht1 million ($28,000) has been offered to anyone who can provide information on the man that police are now referring to as “the bomber”.
Police also said they would take the sketch to a court and ask that an arrest warrant be issued for a man matching the description.
“He had white skin and must have been a European or have mixed blood, perhaps with Middle Eastern blood”, said police spokesman Prawut Thawornsiri. A government spokesperson said there may be patterns between the two separate attacks but no direct link has been established just yet.
At a news conference earlier in the day, national police chief Somyot Poompanmoung expressed uncertainty about the man’s origin.
“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”, says Gen. Prayuth Chan Ocha, Thai Prime Minister. He then leaves the backpack at the Erawan shrine.
The prime minister urged the main suspect to surrender to the police because he might otherwise “get killed to stop him from talking”.
The attack occurred on Monday evening as worshippers and tourists crowded into the Erawan shrine in Bangkok’s commercial heart.
Meanwhile, the shrine has reopened and local residents have left tributes to the 20 people killed around the popular holy place.
The police chief also told reporters: “I don’t suspect one person, I suspect many people”. Video footage of the blast shows a burst of water as people on a walkway run away for safety.
“His Holiness Pope Francis was deeply saddened to learn of the injury and loss of life caused by the attack at the Erawan Hindu Shrine and of the threat to life and property caused by the bombing at the Sathorn Pier”, said an August. 19 letter, signed by Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin.
Advertisement
No-one has yet claimed responsibility for the bombing, which bears none of the hallmarks of the Muslim separatists who have been fighting a long insurgency in the south of the country.
