Thai Police Find Explosive Chemicals Linked To Terror Plot

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

Terror suspect leads Thai police to explosive materials in Bangkok warehouse

By Associated Press, Updated: Monday, January 16, 3:23 PM

BANGKOK — A foreign suspect with alleged links to Hezbollah militants led Thai police Monday to a warehouse filled with materials commonly used to make bombs, as Thailand and the U.S. disagreed over whether Bangkok was the target of a terror plot.

Police confiscated more than 8,800 pounds (4,000 kilograms) of urea fertilizer and several gallons of liquid ammonium nitrate during the early morning raid of a warehouse in Samut Sakhon, on the western outskirts of Bangkok, according to police and media reports.

The raid came after the U.S. Embassy issued an “emergency message” Friday warning of a possible terror threat against Americans in Bangkok, and Israel sent out a similar warning to its citizens. A dozen other embassies have since urged their citizens to exercise caution.

........................

Hussein was charged later Monday with illegally possessing explosive materials and faces up to five years in prison.

MORE:

BTW, I love the ending paragraph of the MCOT news post that is the OP in this thread today:

Just in case anyone has forgotten what it said:

After questioning, Gen Priewpan said Mr Hussein, a Lebanese with a Swedish passport, will be deported to his country without being charged, as he had not committed any wrongdoing. (MCOT online news)

Edited January 16, 2012 by TallGuyJohninBKK

[OccamsRazor]

The guy could have been acquiring the explosive materials here and having them shipped/transported to Lebanon in fan boxes, as one of the earlier news reports claimed...

I would think there must be places a lot closer and more 'friendly' to get fertilizer?

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

The guy could have been acquiring the explosive materials here and having them shipped/transported to Lebanon in fan boxes, as one of the earlier news reports claimed...

I would think there must be places a lot closer and more 'friendly' to get fertilizer?

When the party involved in a would-be terrorist, I think you'd be hard-pressed to find a friendlier non-terrorist-run place than Thailand.

Edited January 16, 2012 by TallGuyJohninBKK

[wxyz]

storing them in Bangkok, cuz Bangkok his a huge container ship port, good one

[chooka]

Ok.. so now he's been charged.. well that's a relief.. I thought I read they deported him already. Made me kinda worried that they kept saying "he didn't break any laws so we deported him".

Ditto on that... What the heck's going on???

There were news reports posted here earlier today that the guy had been deported... And of course, the Thai authorities have been routinely saying the past several days that the guy broke no laws in Thailand....

If he's been charged, does that mean he hasn't been deported... Or, perish the thought, they deported him and then charged him after he was gone... The way this place works, I'd bet on the latter as the answer.

I don't think anyone in Authority has any idea what is going on. I think whilst all the individuals are off making thier own press statements and pinning medals on themselves the guy has probably just caught a taxi to airport and put it on the BIB's tab.

[OccamsRazor]

When the party involved in a would-be terrorist, I think you'd be hard-pressed to find a friendlier non-terrorist-run place than Thailand.

Good point, the government seems to make it too easy. Got to keep those tourist numbers up.

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

“I think Thailand is likely a transit point for other regions of the world,” national police chief Gen. Prewpan Dhamapong told reporters after the raid. “It is unlikely that they would have staged terror attacks in Thailand.”

So I'm trying to decide which makes me feel better about my adopted home here:

Thailand/Bangkok -- the place where would-be terrorists want to blow up westerners and/or Israeli interests

or

Thailand/Bangkok -- the place where would-be terrorists obtain and export explosive materials that they and/or others will use to blow up westerners and/or Israeli interests in other countries....

Choices choices....

[Thai at Heart]

Just dawned on me, that, it isn't as though the current government know about all sorts of caches all over the country which they can serve up to the press whenever required.

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

Perhaps this unraveling tale will give a new mission for the Tourism XXXXism Authority of Thailand...

You fill in the blank...

[animatic]

Rumour has it that there is a sweep stake running among cabinet members for whom can make the country look the most inept.

This can be the only explanation.

Or they actually are so inept they don't even realize they are inept.

And so arrogant, they don't believe it when some one points it out.

Tommy Taup II : "I may be taup,

but I'm not so taup that I don't know I'm taup."

The Welsh will understand this line.

Edited January 16, 2012 by animatic

[Thai at Heart]

Rumour has it that there is a sweep stake running among cabinet members for whom can make the country look the most inept.

This can be the only explanation.

Or they actually are so inept they don't even realize they are inept.

And so arrogant, they don't believe it when some one points it out.

Tommy Taup II : "I may be taup,

but I'm not so taup that I don't know I'm taup."

The Welsh will understand this line.

hefyd yn wir

Or the guy from Noththenation has commandeered the government press office.

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

I noticed the other English newspaper has the national police chief today explaining that the explosives materials, according to the suspect, were supposed to be concealed in fan boxes and transported outside Thailand to other unnamed destinations...

Dunno why anyone ought to be concerned about that... The guy was just in the agriculture business, and it's their normal method to ship urea fertilizer in electric fan boxes... Some people are such alarmists....

[animatic]

Thailand: Four tonnes of explosive precursor found

BANGKOK: The confession of a terrorist suspect has led police to the discovery of more than four tonnes of explosive precursor in Samut Sakhon province.

Police Chief Pol Gen Priewpan Damapong said that 4,380kg of urea fertiliser and 10 gallons of liquid ammonia nitrate were found at a commercial building at Tambon Kalong, Mueng district, Samut Sakhon province, 36km south of Bangkok, this morning.

About 200 police checked the building in the early morning, following the confession of the suspect, a 48-year-old Lebanese, he said.

He said the suspect has rented the premises since January 2010 for 15,000 Baht (about RM1,500) per month, and that the explosive precursor had been stored there a long time.

"However, the suspect confessed that the materials were meant to be smuggled to another country and not to be used in this country," Pol Gen Priewpan said.

This capital was put on terrorism alert following a warning on its website by the United States Embassy in Thailand that foreign terrorists could be looking to conduct attacks against tourist areas here in the near future.

More than a dozen countries followed suit by issuing travel alerts for their citizens. [more...]

Full story: http://www.nst.com.m...r-found-1.33011

-- New Straights Times 2012-01-16

This sounds to be nearly 2/3 at least of McVies bomb in Omaha....

He used 5 american tons of fertilizer alone.

Metric or imperial tonnes are larger, but this was 4 tonnes of total materials.

In any case this would have been devastating to normally constructed buildings,

and humans within a 100 foot circle would likely be shredded.

Death from debris for several hundreds of feet.

Way beyond the Bali bombing.

[elcent]

The government is in the control of the situation....

could be true. What other governments can be added on?

think about the massive Iranian drug smuggling. They may not know each other personally, but there's most likely a connection. Someone must pay for the bills of such large enterprising. I don't think the rent of a warehouse is cheap. Needless to say were the teaching comes from.- The same as the ones that found out? Without having people in this circles it would be almost impossible to detect a threat. What took so long to uncover this? Maybe timing for a larger aim?

Stories revealed in the US recently, like selling arms to Mexican known drug barons and securing shipment of narcotics to the US via State agencies, does not whitewash any findings about a terror threat yet. There's more to it then most dare to think.

[chinook]

Suspect's confession led to finding of bomb ingredients "The suspect said the substances were usually shipped out of the country hidden in electric fan boxes," Priewphan said.

"The suspect asked me to tell Thai people not to worry because there would indefinitely be no terrorism attack in Thailand," he said.....After questioning, Gen Priewpan said Mr Hussein, a Lebanese with a Swedish passport, will be deported to his country without being charged, as he had not committed any wrongdoing.......................Hilarious....

[SICHONSTEVE]

Yeap I anxiously await the anti Americans who are going to comment about how the American embassy is crying wolf by issuing the warning.

It's NOT anti-Americans who are berating the Americans it's the Thai Government - let's see what they've got to say about it.

This government is a complete joke that cannot get ANYTHING right!!!! They're response to situations is TOO SLOW and INVARIABLY WRONG in their actions!!!!! As to their ORGANISATIONAL and CO-OPERATIONAL skills, well!!!!

[sparebox2]

I wonder if they have just raided a fertiliser warehouse?

[metisdead]

Off topic posts have been removed as well as a post with overly derogatory comments about Thais:

8) Not to post extremely negative views of Thailand or derogatory comments directed towards all Thais.

[Jingthing]

I wonder if they have just raided a fertiliser warehouse?

I wonder if you really wonder that. I lied. No, I don't.

[RKASA]

Sounds like in the face of a possable large attack they made some deals to get to the stuff - turns out it is a shipping point for targets else where but all the same a target is a target and Thai's should care about that and did. Good job - Mr. Terror now has a problem back at his head office and I am pretty sure they want to see his head - the rest of the body won't matter much to them.

[Pseudolus]

I notice a lot of the posters and 'likers' on other threads who were saying the warning was a 'crock of sh*#' are quiet on this thread.

I'm not - I said at the start that this is all too convenient for this crack pot set of politicians and coppers. A "shop house" full of fertilizer? So they took come pics in a shop full of fertilizer and happy days - case closed.

Also, even if you get knicked for dropping chewing gum on the floor, they make you stand there, face for all to see while the big brass stand around looking smug. So, why no face pics of this guy and WHY, having admitted to storing bomb making equipment and lots of "conspiracy to commit" charges available to them with admissions of guilt as well has this guy been slammed on a plane out the country. All points to a whole lot of smoke and mirrors where the politicians and police feel they have to react to something broadcast by the Americans (true or not), and then get carried away.

[metisdead]

I notice a lot of the posters and 'likers' on other threads who were saying the warning was a 'crock of sh*#' are quiet on this thread.

I'm not - I said at the start that this is all too convenient for this crack pot set of politicians and coppers. A "shop house" full of fertilizer? So they took come pics in a shop full of fertilizer and happy days - case closed.

Also, even if you get knicked for dropping chewing gum on the floor, they make you stand there, face for all to see while the big brass stand around looking smug. So, why no face pics of this guy and WHY, having admitted to storing bomb making equipment and lots of "conspiracy to commit" charges available to them with admissions of guilt as well has this guy been slammed on a plane out the country. All points to a whole lot of smoke and mirrors where the politicians and police feel they have to react to something broadcast by the Americans (true or not), and then get carried away.

Apparently you missed this:

Thai Police charge Lebanese in terror probe

[Ulysses G.]

I notice a lot of the posters and 'likers' on other threads who were saying the warning was a 'crock of sh*#' are quiet on this thread.

Very valid point.

Edited January 16, 2012 by Ulysses G.

[BookMan]

I notice a lot of the posters and 'likers' on other threads who were saying the warning was a 'crock of sh*#' are quiet on this thread.

I'm not - I said at the start that this is all too convenient for this crack pot set of politicians and coppers. A "shop house" full of fertilizer? So they took come pics in a shop full of fertilizer and happy days - case closed.

Also, even if you get knicked for dropping chewing gum on the floor, they make you stand there, face for all to see while the big brass stand around looking smug. So, why no face pics of this guy and WHY, having admitted to storing bomb making equipment and lots of "conspiracy to commit" charges available to them with admissions of guilt as well has this guy been slammed on a plane out the country. All points to a whole lot of smoke and mirrors where the politicians and police feel they have to react to something broadcast by the Americans (true or not), and then get carried away.

Conspiracy u think?

[gemini81]

A lot of people on here enjoying the taste of their toes in their mouths.

I appreciated the heads up warning. Better to be informed than uniformed and sorry afterward. The US intelligence has a lot more inside knowledge than even the most chronic trollers and those moaning about super power countries.

[SomTumTiger]

Thai government looked like idiots during the flood. That trend continues...

[gemini81]

A lot of people on here enjoying the taste of their toes in their mouths.

I appreciated the heads up warning. Better to be informed than uniformed and sorry afterward. The US intelligence has a lot more inside knowledge than even the most chronic trollers on this site, and those moaning about countries which give theirs endless aid and help.

[geriatrickid]

In respect to the accusations that the Thais have "botched" this, what I believe the response is standard M.O. for big operations in Thailand. There is no one spokesperson. Everyone rushes in to have a photo op or to make a statement. On top of that are the Thai to English translations that drop context and nuances. One can use this as an opportunity to bash the government, but the fact of the matter is that the crisis management structure has been the same for the past 25 years. It seems they are all graduates of the University of Keystone Cops. Face it, has the management of a crisis differed between the government building occupations, Bangkok protests, Southern floods, or recent floods? This is Thai management style on display.

[chooka]

I notice a lot of the posters and 'likers' on other threads who were saying the warning was a 'crock of sh*#' are quiet on this thread.

I'm not - I said at the start that this is all too convenient for this crack pot set of politicians and coppers. A "shop house" full of fertilizer? So they took come pics in a shop full of fertilizer and happy days - case closed.

Also, even if you get knicked for dropping chewing gum on the floor, they make you stand there, face for all to see while the big brass stand around looking smug. So, why no face pics of this guy and WHY, having admitted to storing bomb making equipment and lots of "conspiracy to commit" charges available to them with admissions of guilt as well has this guy been slammed on a plane out the country. All points to a whole lot of smoke and mirrors where the politicians and police feel they have to react to something broadcast by the Americans (true or not), and then get carried away.

Watched the ABC News on the Australia Network tonight and they displayed his picture on the screen. The coverage of the offender leaving the police station showed him hooded, shackled and wearing a balistic vest. The ABC also said that Thailand was playing it down as they were concerned about the impact on tourism (See Thai's do love farangs and want you to come and enjoy the beachs) Police were also reported to have said that there was never any threat of terrorism in Thailand and the suspect was just using Thailand as a stop over enroute to another unknown destination.

[geriatrickid]

I notice a lot of the posters and 'likers' on other threads who were saying the warning was a 'crock of sh*#' are quiet on this thread.

Very valid point.

Quite right. We are indeed fortunate for the US presence, not that some people will ever be able to express thanks. Thank you US State Department and US National Security.