Thai Police Charge Lebanese In Terror Probe

[webfact]

Police charge Lebanese as Bangkok ups security

BANGKOK, January 16, 2012 (AFP) - Thai police charged a Lebanese man suspected of planning an attack in Bangkok after they raided a property on Monday and discovered chemicals that could be used to make a bomb.

The United States has warned of a "serious" threat of a terrorist strike on tourist areas in Bangkok and a manhunt is under way for a second suspect who could be hiding in the Thai capital, prompting extra security.

The Lebanese man is accused of breaking weapons control law, deputy national police chief Pansiri Prapawat said, after a large amount of fertiliser and ammonium nitrate was found at an address rented by the suspect.

"We will conduct further investigation into whether he violated any other laws," he told reporters.

Ammonium nitrate is commonly used in agriculture, but mixed with other substances can make a bomb. Possession of the chemical requires a permit in Thailand.

Security has been stepped up around possible targets in Bangkok, including the Israeli embassy and the Khao San Road backpacker district, and at Suvarnabhumi airport, Thailand's main air hub.

Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra again reassured the public that the situation was under control.

"We continue to keep a close watch and we have also increased the security presence," she told reporters.

Thai authorities allege the Lebanese man, who was detained on Thursday, has links to Hezbollah, an Iranian- and Syrian-backed Muslim Shiite group that is blacklisted as a terrorist organisation by Washington.

When contacted, Hezbollah declined to comment on the case.

The suspect, who is also believed to have a Swedish passport, was detained based on intelligence provided by Israel, according to Thai officials.

Police said Saturday the suspect had admitted during interrogation that a group was planning an attack in Thailand, but that the plot had been called off.

Israel would not confirm or deny a role in the arrest, but has urged its citizens to avoid Bangkok because of "a serious and imminent danger".

Thai authorities had repeatedly played down the risk and withheld information about any possible plot until after the United States warned Friday of a terrorist threat against tourists in the kingdom.

"Foreign terrorists may be currently looking to conduct attacks against tourist areas in Bangkok in the near future," the US embassy in Bangkok said in an emergency message posted on its website.

US Ambassador Kristie Kenney wrote on Twitter on Monday that the US advice "still stands."

She has previously described the threat as "credible, serious and specific."

Foreign Minister Surapong Tovichakchaikul has expressed "disappointment" that the United States did not consult Thailand before issuing the alert.

The safety scare is another blow to the kingdom's tourist-friendly image, which was badly dented last year by devastating flooding across much of the country, as well as rounds of rival political protests in recent years.

In 2008 a nine-day blockade by protesters of Suvarnabhumi airport stranded tens of thousands of travellers, and the industry was badly hit again in 2010 during anti-government street demonstrations.

Bangkok's central shopping area was reduced to a battle zone during an army crackdown on the 2010 rallies, and more than 90 people were left dead.

An eight-year shadowy insurgency continues to plague the country's Muslim-majority deep south, but the rebels have never been known to attack outside the region.

In the most prominent terrorist attack in Southeast Asia in recent history, 202 people -- most of them foreign tourists -- were killed in 2002 by bombings on the Indonesian island of Bali.

-- (c) Copyright AFP 2012-01-16

related

Thai Police find explosive chemicals linked to terror plot

http://www.thaivisa....to-terror-plot/

[Jingthing]

Well, at least they arrested him for SOMETHING!

Clearly, dragging their feet, so much better for Thailand if this could have been completely hidden from public view.

Take note -- the Hezbollah terror warning for Thailand still stands.

Edited January 16, 2012 by Jingthing

[Japhrodisiac]

Charged him in absentia? Did they just let him go yesterday? So may conflicting reports here from the gov't - most of which are along the lines of - no problem here, no threat at all - keep moving along...

[Pib]

Was just on the Nation web site reading another story on this terrorist probe subject and a police general said this:

Partial Quote from The Nation article:

Meanwhile, Metropolitan Police Commissioner Pol Lt Gen Winai Thongsong said the public should not worry about Thailand being the target of a terrorist attack, as it seemed the country was being used for storage and transit.

End Quote.

Does this mean Thailand is another "Hub?" About every week it seems we read some annoucement/news story where some some govt official or business CEO says they hope to make Thailand a Hub for XYZ.

[sparebox2]

Terror neutralised. Much obliged. I hope those eventually found guilty can spend the rest of his/her time in Thai jail.

[Jingthing]

Terror neutralised.

...

How do you reckon that?!?

US Ambassador Kristie Kenney wrote on Twitter on Monday that the US advice "still stands."

[metisdead]

A nonsense troll post and a reply have removed.

[PoodMaiDai]

Wait, so he had a plan to use chemicals to make some sort of attack, yet the gov says there was no attack threat?

Love this place. Really.

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

From MCOT this afternoon:

Lebanese-Swedish suspect charged with having hidden explosive chemicals

SAMUT SAKHON, Jan 16 -- Lebanese-born Swedish national Atris Hussein, suspected as a terrorist, was charged Monday afternoon with possessing explosive chemicals linked to a terror plot after the substances, which could be used to make explosives, were discovered in a building in this suburban province adjacent to the Thai capital.

National police chief Pol Gen Prewpan Dhamapong said the suspect and the seized chemicals -- a large amount of urea fertiliser and ammonium nitrate solution -- were sent to the Royal Thai Police Bureau. The suspect is subject to further prosecution under the Arms Control Act of having the chemicals without Defence Ministry permission.

The punishment can be as much as five years in prison, a fine up to Bt50,000, or both.

According to Mr Hussein, the building was used only to store the chemicals, but not to produce explosives. A terror plot was not planned for Thailand, he said, but the country was being used as a transit site to distribute the materials for making bombs abroad, but the location was not disclosed by the Thai authorities.

MORE:

Apparently the news reports earlier today that the guy was deported were premature...or...to put it another way... wrong.

Edited January 16, 2012 by TallGuyJohninBKK

[Jingthing]

Sounds like good news. Thanks to the LIGHT coming out from the USA thanks to the excellent intelligence provided by ISRAEL, THAILAND is clearly feeling the pressure to be responsible about this.

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

A bit more color and detail from the New York Times... Note the kitty litter angle:

On Monday Thai officials said they believed Thailand was not a target. The chief of the metropolitan police, Winai Thongsong, said in an interview that the suspects had contacted a shipping company in Thailand to send the materials out of the country in containers.

“At first, we were not sure whether Thailand was a target or not,” Mr. Winai said. “But now it is quite clear that our country was being used as a transit area.” The building where the materials were found is a three-story “shop-house” in Samut Sakhon Province, near Bangkok.

Investigators found urea fertilizer packed in bags labeled cat litter and plastic drums of ammonium nitrate, two materials that can be used to make explosives. The Lebanese suspect, whom Thai officials identified as Atris Hussein, accompanied police officers wearing a protective vest and face mask.

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/17/world/asia/thai-police-in-bangkok-seize-bomb-making-material.html

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

Just curious... note in the photo above, one of the two guys holding the bomb suspect is wearing a black cap with the letters "ICE" on the front.

In the U.S., that stands for 'Immigration and Customs Enforcement," the arm of U.S. law enforcement that often would be involved with foreigners who have committed some kind of crime.

But I don't know/have never seen/heard the ICE term here re Thai law enforcement... Anyone know?

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

And from the Jerusalem Post:

Emissaries of the hassidic community’s global Jewish outreach network have been targeted by terrorists in the past. In 2008, Islamist gunmen attacked the Chabad House in Mumbai murdering Rabbi Gavriel Holtzberg, his wife, Rivka, and four guests. The tragedy has led to increased security at Chabad Houses around the world, including Thailand.

But in Phuket, an island located 700 kilometers southwest of Bangkok whose name is synonymous with golden beaches and turquoise shores, security fears in the distant capital seemed a world away. An Israeli who answered the phone at the local Chabad House said Jewish vacationers did not seem particularly worried about the terrorist threat.

“We received the notification over Shabbat but other than that nothing here is particularly unusual,” said Shlomi, who refused to give his surname. “I think people are making too much of it back in Israel.”

http://www.jpost.com/JewishWorld/JewishNews/Article.aspx?id=253794

[Jingthing]

Just curious... note in the photo above, one of the two guys holding the bomb suspect is wearing a black cap with the letters "ICE" on the front.

In the U.S., that stands for 'Immigration and Customs Enforcement," the arm of U.S. law enforcement that often would be involved with foreigners who have committed some kind of crime.

But I don't know/have never seen/heard the ICE term here re Thai law enforcement... Anyone know?

Interesting, yes. Could also be a fashion accessory for drug dealers.

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

By the way, on the subject of credibility, let's not forget the version of events that the Thai police were giving before today.... Today, the alleged terrorist never planned to attack Thailand...

But two days ago...

Hezbollah ‘calls off attacks’ in Thailand

15 January 2012

Bangkok (The Nation/ANN) – A Middle Eastern terrorist group had cancelled its plan to attack targets in Thailand after one of its members was arrested in Bangkok and the authorities learned about the plot, the national police chief quoted the suspect as saying yesterday.

Pol General Priewpan Damapong added, however, that the police would still be on guard, with patrolmen being deployed in areas that were possible targets, including popular tourist areas like Khao San Road and Soi Sukhumvit 22, as well as certain foreign embassies.

http://bikyamasr.com...ks-in-thailand/

Edited January 16, 2012 by TallGuyJohninBKK

[metisdead]

Off topic conspiracy post has been removed.

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

This is a very interesting report on an Iraeli oriented news website... It doesn't appear to have any sources shown... but the account is worth reading...

Hizballah planned Mumbai-style attack on Habad Bangkok, Khao San restaurants

DEBKAfile Special Report January 16, 2012, 1:22 PM (GMT+02:00)

Hizballah suspect Atris Hussein

The Thai police's capture of a Lebanese-Swedish Hizballah suspect, who was charged Monday, Jan. 16, thwarted a terrorist attack on Bet Habad in Bangkok, involving the taking of hostages and blowing up the building. It was to have followed the same lines as al Qaeda's 2008 assault on the Mumbai Habad center which killed 8 Israelis and Jews - only more ambitious.

The Habad Bangkok is much larger: its hostel has rooms for dozens of lodgers. A second team was to have hit the Khao San Road restaurants popular with Israelis and Americans in a coordinated operation.

This is the first time Western and Israeli agencies have found evidence of the Lebanese Shiite Hizballah using and training operatives in the same terrorist methods as al Qaeda.

debkafile's counter-terror sources note that two or possibly three Hizballah cells were to have gone into coordinated action on the same date this month. The only suspect in Thai custody is Atris Hussein, 47, who was arrested as soon as he landed at Bangkok international airport Thursday, Jan. 12.

He first denied association with Hizballah, claiming he was on holiday. Sunday, he broke down under interrogation and admitted he was on a mission to attack Jewish, Israeli and American sites and that explosive materials had been prepared in advance by another Hizballah team, which had pinpointed the targets and was to have briefed the perpetrators.

Thai authorities believe that each team was made up of two or three members, all carrying European or Persian Gulf emirate passports.

Monday, Jan 16, Hussein led the police to an address he received from his Hizballah controllers in Lebanon in the Samut Sakorn province on Bangkok’s outskirts. There they found a cache of 4,000 kilograms of urea fertilizer and 10 gallons of ammonium nitrate, a chemical compound used in explosives. The materials had not been assembled, indicating the plot was still not quite ready to go.

The Thai police were waiting for the suspect at the airport after receiving alerts from US and Israeli counter-terrorist agencies, which had advance information about the coming attack. According to debkafile's intelligence sources, the tip-off originated with Lebanese nationals living in Bangkok who had been approached for assistance. Those informants, who did not trust the local authorities to act, went straight to Western and Israeli contacts, who then published terror alerts to US and Israeli travelers.

The terror alerts issued by the US embassy and Israel's Counter-Terror Bureau are still in force.

Sources familiar with the investigation report a major manhunt in progress for Hossein's confederates in Thailand, Europe and the Middle East. Some of those sources suspect the advance team members who prepared the explosives materials managed to escape, either by plane from Bangkok or by crossing into Laos and catching a flight there, although others believe they are still hiding out in Thailand waiting for another chance to strike.

http://www.debka.com/article/21654/

Edited January 16, 2012 by TallGuyJohninBKK

[Jingthing]

That report sounds very credible and those two targets are just what I would expect. Now there is more security there, so if these bad actors still have the capability to act, it will likely be at other targets where the surprise "soft target" factor still exists.

Edited January 16, 2012 by Jingthing

[geriatrickid]

KS Road isn't just popular with Israelis and Americans. It attracts young kids from all over the world. Somehow, I don't see how targeting young adults who are most likely to hold sympathetic views on the issues that Hezbollah supports, would help Hezbollah.

Although, the Israeli perspective is to emphasize their exposure, the past history is that Hezbollah has murdered more US and French nationals than Israelis. Hezbollah has also kidnapped more non Israeli than Israeli nationals. The successful airline hijackings were against Kuwaiti and TWA airliners.

[lensta]

From MCOT this afternoon:

Lebanese-Swedish suspect charged with having hidden explosive chemicals

SAMUT SAKHON, Jan 16 -- Lebanese-born Swedish national Atris Hussein, suspected as a terrorist, was charged Monday afternoon with possessing explosive chemicals linked to a terror plot after the substances, which could be used to make explosives, were discovered in a building in this suburban province adjacent to the Thai capital.

National police chief Pol Gen Prewpan Dhamapong said the suspect and the seized chemicals -- a large amount of urea fertiliser and ammonium nitrate solution -- were sent to the Royal Thai Police Bureau. The suspect is subject to further prosecution under the Arms Control Act of having the chemicals without Defence Ministry permission.

The punishment can be as much as five years in prison, a fine up to Bt50,000, or both.

According to Mr Hussein, the building was used only to store the chemicals, but not to produce explosives. A terror plot was not planned for Thailand, he said, but the country was being used as a transit site to distribute the materials for making bombs abroad, but the location was not disclosed by the Thai authorities.

MORE:

Apparently the news reports earlier today that the guy was deported were premature...or...to put it another way... wrong.

Or maybe the previous reports were correct and this one is wrong, who the hell knows. You sure can't tell who is behind mask.

[pauljones]

"The Thai police were waiting for the suspect at the airport after receiving alerts from US and Israeli counter-terrorist agencies, which had advance information about the coming attack. According to debkafile's intelligence sources, the tip-off originated with Lebanese nationals living in Bangkok who had been approached for assistance. Those informants, who did not trust the local authorities to act, went straight to Western and Israeli contacts, who then published terror alerts to US and Israeli travelers."

It seems the US & Israel didn't tell the Thais until the last moment.

Fearful the Thai Police would tip off the suspects?

[SomTumTiger]

KS Road isn't just popular with Israelis and Americans. It attracts young kids from all over the world. Somehow, I don't see how targeting young adults who are most likely to hold sympathetic views on the issues that Hezbollah supports, would help Hezbollah.

Although, the Israeli perspective is to emphasize their exposure, the past history is that Hezbollah has murdered more US and French nationals than Israelis. Hezbollah has also kidnapped more non Israeli than Israeli nationals. The successful airline hijackings were against Kuwaiti and TWA airliners.

But your government says there is nothing to worry about! There is no plot....oh wait...there was a plot, but its over....oh wait......there was a plot but no bomb found.....oh wait....bomb mats found, but still nothing to worry about....what comes next? Hopefully not *boom*.

If its more dumb ass Thaksin lackeys making noise - ill be grateful, means the US/Isreali warning had its desired affect on the madmen.

[Jingthing]

KS Road isn't just popular with Israelis and Americans. It attracts young kids from all over the world. Somehow, I don't see how targeting young adults who are most likely to hold sympathetic views on the issues that Hezbollah supports, would help Hezbollah.

Although, the Israeli perspective is to emphasize their exposure, the past history is that Hezbollah has murdered more US and French nationals than Israelis. Hezbollah has also kidnapped more non Israeli than Israeli nationals. The successful airline hijackings were against Kuwaiti and TWA airliners.

Did you read the report. A Jewish center, similar to Mumbai but much bigger, and a popular with Israelis restaurant. Obviously, Israelis were the main targets. Probably the most concentrated Jewish targets in all of Thailand, not counting the Israeli embassy, which isn't a soft target. Just because Americans have been targeted before doesn't mean Hezbollah doesn't still want to kill Jews very much! Edited January 16, 2012 by Jingthing

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

I don't know if the above news report is true... I haven't seen the same chilling account reported, as yet, in any of the major Western news media...

However, this account above of a plot to bomb the Jewish Chabat and take hostages and attack venues in Khao San Road does tie together a number of different elements of this saga that have been reported thus far:

--the discovery of a large quanity (4 tons) of explosive making materials outside Bangkok -- enough to devastate a well guarded and protected facility.

--the intelligence reports originating with Israel, and Israeli interests reportedly being the principal targets of the attack.

--the suspect in custody according to Thai police had been staying in the KSR area...

--the suspects behind the plot having or carrying some semblance of European identity documents.

--the U.S. government taking the relatively unprecedented step of issuing a public terrorist warning for Bangkok... perhaps without first notifying the Thai government (although whether they did or didn't in advance isn't known).

Not to mention the correlation with recent terrorist attacks in other parts of the world where the M.O. has been simultaneous or near simultaneous multiple attacks occurred in a single area.

I wonder if there's a bigger, much bigger story here that we're not being told, as yet.

[erobando]

"The Thai police were waiting for the suspect at the airport after receiving alerts from US and Israeli counter-terrorist agencies, which had advance information about the coming attack. According to debkafile's intelligence sources, the tip-off originated with Lebanese nationals living in Bangkok who had been approached for assistance. Those informants, who did not trust the local authorities to act, went straight to Western and Israeli contacts, who then published terror alerts to US and Israeli travelers."

It seems the US & Israel didn't tell the Thais until the last moment.

Fearful the Thai Police would tip off the suspects?

I think more likely is that the Thai government was already working on this and had already tracked and/or arrested the guy but once the alert went public felt the need for what they felt was the face-saving and tourism-calming PR statements and theater actions.

But I think one thing we can all agree on is... if terrorists are this easy to obtain confessions from and spill their plans of attack, then we have nothing to worry about.

[Jingthing]

...

But I think one thing we can all agree on is... if terrorists are this easy to obtain confessions from and spill their plans of attack, then we have nothing to worry about.

Speak for yourself, OK? I don't agree. The terror warning from the US embassy remains in effect.

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

But I think one thing we can all agree on is... if terrorists are this easy to obtain confessions from and spill their plans of attack, then we have nothing to worry about.

The guy in custody supposedly confessed to having bomb making materials and having plans to ship them abroad...

He didn't confess to a plan to bomb and take hostages at the Chabad House in BKK and attack Israeli oriented restaurants in the KSR area...

It may be a case of mis-direction.... confessing to something that would make Thai authorities believe they have nothing to fear at home...when in fact.... they may have something very big still to fear.

[Thai at Heart]

But I think one thing we can all agree on is... if terrorists are this easy to obtain confessions from and spill their plans of attack, then we have nothing to worry about.

The guy in custody supposedly confessed to having bomb making materials and having plans to ship them abroad...

He didn't confess to a plan to bomb and take hostages at the Chabad House in BKK and attack Israeli oriented restaurants in the KSR area...

It may be a case of mis-direction.... confessing to something that would make Thai authorities believe they have nothing to fear at home...when in fact.... they may have something very big still to fear.

I think I will wait for the next statement from the Israeli or US Embassy before I believe any of it. I think the original statement was that Israel warned about 3 people. Unfortunately, security forces have to act largely from a position of paranoia and pessimism. Hardly compatible with mai bpen arai.

[erobando]

But I think one thing we can all agree on is... if terrorists are this easy to obtain confessions from and spill their plans of attack, then we have nothing to worry about.

The guy in custody supposedly confessed to having bomb making materials and having plans to ship them abroad...

He didn't confess to a plan to bomb and take hostages at the Chabad House in BKK and attack Israeli oriented restaurants in the KSR area...

It may be a case of mis-direction.... confessing to something that would make Thai authorities believe they have nothing to fear at home...when in fact.... they may have something very big still to fear.

Yeah, I don't know what he confessed... But I doubt what he confessed, if anything, is what the Thai authorities say he confessed. They're just saying that so that they can give the impression that Bangkok/Thailand is safe.

[Pseudolus]

Charged him in absentia? Did they just let him go yesterday? So may conflicting reports here from the gov't - most of which are along the lines of - no problem here, no threat at all - keep moving along...

My point exactly.

1) USA issues warning - Americans stay inside for a long time because the baddies are out to get you. Seriously - what are you supposed to do or benefit from this? Not that I venture to the "entertainment" spots, are you seriously telling me they are all empty now?

2) Noooo - there's no plot at all - it's all lies says the Thai government.

3) (after a short sharp call from the USA) Well there is a plot, but it's OK, we have caught one of the bad guys so don't worry.

4) (after a call from the Government) yup, he confessed all, and said we were not doing anything in Thailand, no threat, we love you crazy guys

5) (another sharp call from the USA) Heh - look what we have found - the warning was all true but we won the day - look at my cousin Somchai's !!COUGHS!! evil terrorists Shop house full of manure !!!Coughs followed by prod by man in dark blue suit and glasses!!! umm Explosive devices

6) But he broke no laws so we have stuck him on a plane and not a problem, he is history and we will find the other one soon

7) NEK Minnet! We have charged him and he is helping us with our enquiries (dam_n, wish we had him so we could parade him properly like we ALWAYS do)

8) We got the tip from the MOSSAD

9) Umm, we know nothing about this says Mossad