12 minutes ago, wensiensheng said:

Maybe he forgot his bag ( abandon seems over the top) and there never was any explosive ingredients in the first place. Just faulty scanning equipment.

 

i know which I think is more likely, your John Le Carre theory, or a cock up by the police.

A parts per million measuring device.  They can be quite sensitive, and I don't remember reading when it was

Calibrated last.  Either is possible A defective device, falsely calibrated, Environmental source for PPMs, OR>

PPMs on the suitcase from some undisclosed source.

Turnip!

1 hour ago, jwl53 said:

Just imagine the comments if this had been a English guy🤫

Apparently his parents are English 

 

If photo relates to this issue it would appear he walked away and left bag etc behind. In Australia if any bag, package etc is found unaccompanied they do an explosive trace test on it. Same machines that are at security checkpoints and you may be chosen to submit to where they swab clothing and any items that you carry with you.

 

A positive read from the exterior of the items tested could be because he had handled fireworks, been at fireworks display with bag etc and as stated a false positive which are reasonably rare. If you get a positive you are meant to use new sample and test a further twice to confirm initial read or clear pax, items.

Thanks to the internet I can tell you that acetone ( nail polish remover) and peroxide ( hair bleach) combined can be used to make the explosive mentioned above. 

Both are commonly available ingredients and it's not impossible that if some of his Thai friends were female, a drop or two if those substances might have contaminated his bag and triggered the sensor. 

1 hour ago, hotchilli said:

Idiot

Well He IS A Swede !!

Another c/in at BKK Hilton.

In Thailand, attempted terrorism will be subject to severe punishment(min. 10 yrs).

 

punishment of attempted terrorism in thailand - Google Search

1 hour ago, Photoguy21 said:

"She indicated the false alarm could stem from accidental chemical contamination, possibly from environments where explosives were handled or displayed" Where would a tourist gain access to such a site?

 

Fertilisers?

Should the headline refer to the suitcase as 'forgotten luggage' as opposed to 'unclaimed luggage' ?

Maybe he's a Turnip...not a a Swede !

2 hours ago, richard_smith237 said:

 

I suspect the possibility of mental issues....  he forgot his belongings at the airport, may for the same reasons someone else packed his items before travelling - this may also be why he was 'uncooperative', perhaps he was just struggling... 

 

Either way - good job on security services for identifying and dealing with an unattended piece of luggage... 

 

....BUT, they've overcooked it when stating that "state-of-the-art equipment" was used which identified 'Thai herbs' as an acetone peroxide explosive !!!...  Better safe than sorry of course.

 

 

 

 

 

Detectors usually are picking up volatile organic compounds - hydrocarbons, aromatics, ketones, esters etc. They don't isolate individual compounds, just generic classes.

 

Thai herbs would almost certainly have some VOC's.

 

Personally, I'd rather have too much security at an airport than too little.

 

 

Well done to the Thai Authorities who arrested this uncooperative prr!k.

And confirmed all protocols were effective. In the UK a whole airport was closed down for a full weekend when a 

'generator' exploded.

The Thais are very efficient when they need to be. WELL DONE.

 

"A Swedish man inadvertently caused a security scare at Udon Thani airport by leaving a suitcase containing explosive ingredients." Then said there was nothing hazardous in the luggage. I assume that the man being "uncooperative"  was made up to justify the Thais going into panic mode.

4 hours ago, ronster said:

??? I have never had anyone pack a case for me or know anyone that has had someone pack one for them . Why 🧐 

Why was he also uncooperative when contacted ?

My wife packs my bag every time!

🤔🥳🥳🥳🥳

A 58 year old man does not usually "forget" his luggage at an airport.

 

Charge him for the inconvenience of shutting down the airport etc.!

5 hours ago, ChaiyaTH said:

Most likely because they spoke fk all english, clearly it's a failure and BS from the Thai side, as it always is. They even try to say he would have maybe been in contact with an area that handles explosives, BS entirely, it was a false positive! They never admit their mistakes.

Yip, once had a positive test at Suvarnabhumi for Heroin, test got done three times (three positives…),, until someone suggested to use a different machine…

5 hours ago, richard_smith237 said:

....BUT, they've overcooked it when stating that "state-of-the-art equipment" was used which identified 'Thai herbs' as an acetone peroxide explosive !!!...  Better safe than sorry of course.

 

discovered in 1895 by the German chemist Richard Wolffenstein. Wolffenstein combined acetone and hydrogen peroxide, and then he allowed the mixture to stand for a week at room temperature, during which time a small quantity of crystals precipitated,    (wiki)

 

Probably some forgotten leftover durian and mango salad in a to-go box fermented.....

 

As to the state-0f-the-art equipment, I would guess they repurposed some of those $33,000 GT-200 bomb detectors they purchased for a total of $24 million

 

Airport director Tippawan Wangsanuwat said: ‘The detection of explosive precursors might have come from the passenger's clothes.

‘He may have been in a place containing explosive substances or entertainment venues with sound and lighting, possibly using firecrackers or rockets.'

The tourist was later released and allowed to return to his homeland in Europe.

 

https://www.newsflare.com/video/738131/swedish-tourist-detained-at-thai-airport-after-explosives-found-in-luggage#

 

Officials concluded that the explosive precursor detection might have come from the passenger’s clothes if he had been in places related to explosives, sound and light shows, or traditional Isan firecrackers and rocket festivals. 

 

www.khaosodenglish.com/news/2025/04/18/drama-at-udon-airport-as-tatp-found-in-swedish-mans-luggage/

1 hour ago, CanadaSam said:

A 58 year old man does not usually "forget" his luggage at an airport.

 

Charge him for the inconvenience of shutting down the airport etc.!

 

A 58-year-old man doesn’t typically need a babysitter to pack his bags, forgets them entirely, and then goes mute when asked to account for it, unless something’s well and truly off beneath the surface.

 

Before people rush to string him up in the public square, perhaps it’s worth asking whether we’re witnessing something deeper unraveling, something to do with his mental clarity, rather than just incompetence or deceit.

 

 

 "Mr Erik later admitted the suitcase was his, packed by a friend, and contained used clothes and Thai herbs for personal use."

 

Total BS ... The idiot packed the case himself and was worried that the herbs were legal. Didn't know what he was buying from the street vendor. The all too familiar "Do you do anal, I'm asking  for a friend".

7 hours ago, ChaiyaTH said:

Most likely because they spoke fk all english, clearly it's a failure and BS from the Thai side, as it always is. They even try to say he would have maybe been in contact with an area that handles explosives, BS entirely, it was a false positive! They never admit their mistakes.

Tell us how do you know these insights? Are you the friend who packed the suitcase? 

Very interesting.

And why only Thais are telling BS ?

You prove different.

7 hours ago, ronster said:

??? I have never had anyone pack a case for me or know anyone that has had someone pack one for them . Why 🧐 

Why was he also uncooperative when contacted ?

He knows nothing about it 

1 hour ago, riverhigh said:

 "Mr Erik later admitted the suitcase was his, packed by a friend, and contained used clothes and Thai herbs for personal use."

 

Total BS ... The idiot packed the case himself and was worried that the herbs were legal. Didn't know what he was buying from the street vendor. The all too familiar "Do you do anal, I'm asking  for a friend".

Porkys everywhere 

1 hour ago, NoDisplayName said:

Airport director Tippawan Wangsanuwat said: ‘The detection of explosive precursors might have come from the passenger's clothes.

‘He may have been in a place containing explosive substances or entertainment venues with sound and lighting, possibly using firecrackers or rockets.'

The tourist was later released and allowed to return to his homeland in Europe.

 

https://www.newsflare.com/video/738131/swedish-tourist-detained-at-thai-airport-after-explosives-found-in-luggage#

 

Officials concluded that the explosive precursor detection might have come from the passenger’s clothes if he had been in places related to explosives, sound and light shows, or traditional Isan firecrackers and rocket festivals. 

 

www.khaosodenglish.com/news/2025/04/18/drama-at-udon-airport-as-tatp-found-in-swedish-mans-luggage/

Maybe he was working illegally and did a pirotechnic display for songkran 

meatballs

18 hours ago, richard_smith237 said:

 

I suspect the possibility of mental issues....  he forgot his belongings at the airport, may for the same reasons someone else packed his items before travelling - this may also be why he was 'uncooperative', perhaps he was just struggling... 

 

Either way - good job on security services for identifying and dealing with an unattended piece of luggage... 

 

....BUT, they've overcooked it when stating that "state-of-the-art equipment" was used which identified 'Thai herbs' as an acetone peroxide explosive !!!...  Better safe than sorry of course.

 

 

 

 

 

A few years ago at LHR I saw an unattended suitcase sitting at the side of a passageway, I got hold of a security man and pointed it out to him, he just said it belonged to someone sitting a few seats in with some other people at the other side of the passageway.

If I had a suitcase anywhere I would want it sitting beside me.

21 hours ago, bogozy said:

Uncooperative.

Why?

 

I think that the Swede saying Ya Ya Ya over and over was mistaken for being "uncooperative " 😅

On 4/18/2025 at 5:45 AM, webfact said:

 

 

Advanced detection equipment screened the suitcase, revealing traces of triacetone triperoxide (TATP), a potential explosive precursor.

 

Thailand still using them GT200 bomb detectors !!

Overall, the incident highlights the effectiveness of modern security measures and the importance of vigilance around suspicious items in airports.
But they got it wrong...It was a False Alarm