Police hunt ‘foreigner’ in Bangkok bombing
Authorities say it’s possible suspect was in disguise, set bounty for capture at $37K
BANGKOK— A police manhunt was underway Wednesday for an “unidentified foreign man” shown in a security video leaving a backpack at a popular Bangkok shrine just minutes before a bomb exploded there.
Police issued a sketch of the man and suggested he was part of a wider network.
“If citizens or anyone can give us information or clues that lead to the arrest of this man, I have set a reward of one million baht ($37,000),” National Police Chief Somyot Poompanmoung said.
“He didn’t do it alone, for sure. It’s a network,” he said.
The grainy security video shows the man, wearing a yellow T-shirt and shorts, sitting down on a bench at the shrine, taking off a black backpack and leaving it behind as he stands up and walks away. Time stamps show he left the shrine 15 minutes before the explosion, which struck just before 7 p.m.
Two possible accomplices are seen standing in front of the man, said police spokesman Lt.-Gen. Prawut Thavornsiri. One of the men was wearing a red shirt and the other was in white, and they were seen leaving the area shortly before the man in yellow also leaves. Apart from the rough portrait, police have few solid leads in Monday’s bombing at the Erawan Shrine that killed 20 people and wounded 120 others.
At a news conference, Prawut expressed uncertainty about the man’s origin, saying the suspect “looks like a foreigner” but “might have been in adisguise and wearing a fake nose” to conceal his identity.
Two days after the attack, which authorities have called the worst in Thai history, the shrine reopened to the public. No one has claimed responsibility for the blast at one of the capital’s busiest intersections during evening rush hour.
Police composed the sketch based on the video and a description provided by a motorcycle taxi driver believed to have given him a ride on Monday night. The sketch shows a young man in eyeglasses with bushy, dark hair that is cropped at the sides. The warrant describes him as tall, with a pointed nose and thick lips. He faces six charges including conspir- ing to commit premeditated murder and conspiring to commit a bombing that resulted in death and severe injuries. The attack has raised con- cerns about safety in a city that draws millions of tourists.
Prime Minister Prayuth Chanocha “is worried about the security of people and tourists in Thailand,” the police chief said.
Prayuth has called the attack “the worst incident that has ever happened in Thailand” and vowed to track down those responsible.
On Wednesday, people knelt in prayer, lit incense and placed flowers at the site of the bombing. Buddhist monks in saffron robes joined the public to chant prayers.
Thai authorities identified six victims as Thai and four as Malaysians, along with four Chinese, two people from Hong Kong including a British citizen, one Indonesian and one Singaporean. Two victims remain unidentified. With files from The Washington Post