Foreigner arrested in Bangkok bombing

BANGKOK — Thai authorities arrested a foreign man they said had been holed up in an apartment with bombmaking equipment and stacks of passports, the first possible breakthrough in the deadly bombing at a Bangkok shrine nearly two weeks ago.

Police and soldiers on Saturday raided the apartment in a nondescript concrete building on the outskirts of eastern Bangkok and found materials that matched those used in the Aug. 17 blast at the Erawan Shrine in central Bangkok, police said.

The blast, which killed 20 people and injured more than 120, was followed a day later by another explosion at a public ferry pier, which caused no injuries but exacerbated concerns about safety in the Thai capital, which draws millions of tourists.

“Our preliminary investigation shows that he is related to both bombings,” national police spokesman Prawuth Thavornsiri said in the televised statement. He showed photographs of the suspect — a young man with short brown hair and a light beard and moustache. Police identified him only as a 28-year-old foreigner. The suspect reportedly had travelled in and out of Thailand since January 2014.

Police also found “a number of passports from one country,” Prawuth said. He did not name the country, but photographs showed stacks of passports that were similar to those from Turkey.

Earlier, Prawuth said that authorities had not yet determined his nationality and dismissed Thai news reports saying he is Turkish.

A Turkish government spokesman said he had no information on the suspect held or any possible Turkish link to the attack.