Blasts Rattle Bangkok As Israel Accuses Iran

[webfact]

Blasts rattle Bangkok

The Nation

BANGKOK: -- Three explosions, six injured; first one goes off at rented house; UK embassy issues warning; iranian lobs bomb at taxi, then at police car, loses his legs in blast; another Iranian arrested

An Iranian man was badly injured and a second Iranian was arrested after a series of grenade attacks caused panic in the capital and left five bystanders injured yesterday.

An Iranian man was badly injured and second Iranian was arrested after a series of grenade attacks that caused panic in the capital and left five bystanders injured yesterday.

A senior official denied any links to terrorism, but police have yet to rule on whether the blasts were part of a terrorist attack, or if they had anything to do with last month's arrest of a Lebanese man with Swedish nationality in an alleged bomb plot.

"So far, we haven't found any links between these two cases," senior police commander Pol General Pansiri Prapawat said.

In related news, the British Embassy in Bangkok issued a travel advisory within hours of the explosions, the first one of which took place at 2pm at a house rented by three Iranians. Police said that after the first explosion, the three men ran from the house, and one of them, initially identified as Saeid Moradi, tried to hail a taxi. When the taxi did not stop to pick him up, he threw a grenade at it, only to have the grenade bounce back and explode, severing his legs. In addition, shrapnel wounded five adult passers-by, but did not harm any students at nearby Kasem Phitthaya School.

Police officers provided conflicting reports about the location and sequence of events. Khlong Tan police chief Pol Colonel Sitthipharb Baiprasert said Moradi ran to the front of a school and aimed a grenade at police officers, but ended up bearing the brunt of the blast himself. However, deputy Bangkok police chief Pol Maj-General Phisit Phisutthisak said the suspect threw the grenade at a taxicab.

Another senior commander, Pol Maj-General Wichai Sangpraphai, was quoted by deputy secretary-general to the PM Thitima Chaisang as saying the suspect was not injured by the grenade he threw at the taxi, but lost one leg and badly injured another when a second grenade aimed at a police vehicle exploded.

A report in the Thai-language Manager website said the suspect tried to slit his own throat with a sharp piece of glass, but was stopped by police.

Doctors at Chulalongkorn Hospital said the suspect had lost his right leg and sustained injuries to an eye and abdomen. They have also had to amputate his left leg. "He has serious wounds but he should survive," deputy director Dr Ratthaphlee Phak-at said.

Police later said they arrested Mohammad Hazaei, 42, one of the Iranian men, at Suvarnabhumi Airport as he was about to board a flight to Kuala Lumpur. He is under interrogation. The third man remains at large.

A search at the rented house turned up an unspecified amount of C-4 explosive and some home-made bombs, Bangkok police chief Pol Lt-General Winai Thongsong said.

In Moradi's backpack, police found clothing; receipts issued to a Yasef Moradi by a hotel in Pattaya; Bt8,500 and US$2,800 in cash; and a large amount of cash in Iranian currency.

Thitima denied the incidents were acts of terrorism, saying: "This is not sabotage or related to the travel advisories issued [after last month's terrorism scare] by many countries. Police now know where the [suspect is].

"Intelligence analysis said [the suspects] were arguing with one another, and the incidents are being treated as normal crimes."

Foreign Ministry spokesman Thanee Thongphakdee said an official conclusion on the incidents would be made soon to determine the specific nature of the crimes. "Don't jump to the conclusion that it was an act of terrorism," he said.

A briefing by the National Security Council will be held at 9am today at Government House.

Thitima said Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra had instructed the Foreign Ministry to contact the Iranian Embassy to discuss the issue and obtain details about the three men.

Police last month arrested Atris Hussein, a Lebanese man with Swedish nationality whom they said had ties with Hezbollah, an Iranian-backed group based in Lebanon, and suggested he might have been involved in setting up a terror plot in Thailand. Hezbollah later denied links with Hussein.

Taxi driver Sanchai Bunsoongnern said the suspect had tried many times to hail a taxi but none stopped. "He threw a grenade at me. It dropped on the hood, fell on the road and rolled underneath my taxi, and went off. I stopped and helped to chase him," he said.

"A police car then showed up, before the suspect took something out of his pocket, followed by a loud bang, severing his legs. I was 15 metres away from the second blast, and suffered no injuries, but my ears are ringing."

-- The Nation 2012-02-15

[webfact]

Blasts rattle Bangkok as Israel accuses Iran

by Anusak Konglang

BANGKOK, February 15, 2012 (AFP) - A string of blasts rattled the Thai capital Bangkok on Tuesday with Israel pointing the finger at arch-foe Iran, a day after bomb attacks targeted Israeli embassy staff in India and Georgia.

The explosions maimed a fleeing suspect believed to be an Iranian national. Israel linked the incident to a wider terrorist threat following Monday's attacks, which left one female diplomat critically wounded in New Delhi.

"The attempted attack in Bangkok proves once again that Iran and its proxies are continuing to act in the ways of terror and the latest attacks are an example of that," Israeli Defence Minister Ehud Barak said.

The country assailed Iran as the world's "biggest exporter of terror" after Monday's attacks amid rising tensions in the region.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also accused the Islamic republic of being responsible, along with Lebanon's Shiite militia Hezbollah, for a series of failed attacks against Israeli targets in Thailand and Azerbaijan in mid-January.

Bangkok has been on edge since Thai police charged a Lebanese man last month suspected of planning an attack in the capital following a US warning of a possible terrorist strike against tourist areas.

Thai authorities alleged the Lebanese man had links to Hezbollah, an Iranian- and Syrian-backed Muslim Shiite group that is blacklisted as a terrorist organisation by Washington.

Police said they had found no direct link between Tuesday's bombings and the earlier threat, but had received a separate warning from intelligence sources about a potential new attack.

"There was some warning of a possible attack and police were monitoring, but we did not know where it would happen," national police chief Phrewphan Damapong told reporters.

Bomb squad investigators rushed to the scene after three men were seen fleeing after a blast at a house in the Sukhumvit Road area in the east of Bangkok.

One of the men hurled an explosive device at a taxi which refused to stop and later tried to throw another device at police, triggering a blast on the side of a busy road which tore off his legs, authorities said.

Police said they found an Iranian ID on the injured man, who was admitted to a Bangkok hospital for emergency treatment.

"So it's likely that he's an Iranian national," Major General Pisit Pisuthisak, deputy commander of Bangkok Metropolitan Police, told AFP.

They later used a high pressure water cannon to defuse another device found inside the same house.

Authorities also detained an Iranian man at Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi Airport for questioning but it was not immediately clear if he was one of the two other suspects, whose motives were unclear.

Police were searching for the third man.

The blasts come amid rising tensions between Iran and its critics.

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton condemned Monday's attacks in India and Georgia in the "strongest possible terms", although the White House reserved judgment on who was responsible.

Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast has rejected the accusations that Tehran was behind them. "Iran condemns all acts of terrorism," he was quoted as saying by Al-Alam television.

The method used in Monday's attacks resembles the tactics of assassins who have been targeting Iranian nuclear scientists with magnetic bombs placed on their vehicles, murders blamed by Iran on Israeli and US secret services.

Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra urged people not to "jump to conclusions" about the blasts and urged people not to panic.

The safety scares are 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 recent weeks security has been stepped up around possible targets in Bangkok, including the Israeli embassy and the Khao San Road backpacker district.

Britain on Tuesday warned its citizens to be on guard following the latest incident.

-- (c) Copyright AFP 2012-02-15

[webfact]

Israel fears embassy bombs herald Iran terror wave: press

by Hazel Ward

JERUSALEM, February 15, 2012 (AFP) - Israel blamed Iran on Tuesday for a series of blasts in Bangkok, a day after its embassy staff were targeted in India and Georgia, with press commentators fearful they heralded further attacks.

Following Monday's attacks on embassy cars in New Delhi and Tbilisi, which left an Israeli woman diplomat critically injured in the Indian capital, Israel's main newspapers warned it could mark the start of a series of deadly attacks on Israeli targets.

Israel blamed Iran for Monday's attacks, warning the Islamic republic was behind the attempted bombings, and also implicated Lebanon's Hezbollah militia in a series of failed attempts to target Israelis in Thailand and Azerbaijan last month.

Such fears were reinforced on Tuesday when a series of blasts hit Bangkok, with police saying they believed one of the perpetrators was an Iranian.

"The attempted attack in Bangkok proves once again that Iran and its proxies are continuing to act in the ways of terror and the latest attacks are an example of that," said Israeli Defence Minister Ehud Barak.

"Iran and Hezbollah are unrelenting, uninhibited sources of terror," he said. There was no immediate indication the failed Bangkok attacks were targeting Israelis.

Despite the rhetoric, a harsh Israeli response was "unlikely," the left-leaning Haaretz newspaper said.

"Monday's attacks were still limited enough that they didn't violate the 'rules of the game,'" it said, indicating they may have been an attempt to avenge the killing of four Iranian scientists, which were widely blamed on Israel.

"If, as is widely believed, Israel is behind a recent series of assassinations of Iranian nuclear scientists in Tehran, government officials presumably knew that Iranian revenge attacks were likely and took that possibility into account," it said, noting that both incidents involved "relatively low-level targets" and caused few casualties.

"Israel is not about to go to war over the bombing of a diplomatic car in New Delhi and an attempted bombing in Tbilisi," the Jerusalem Post said.

"But if Iran and Hezbollah continue their efforts and succeed in perpetrating a large attack producing greater casualties and devastation, the government will have a difficult time holding itself back."

Many papers suggested the attacks, which followed several failed attempts against Israeli targets in Azerbaijan and Thailand last month, were the start of a wave of attempts targeting Israelis overseas.

"Israel views both terror attacks yesterday as part of a surging wave of terror attacks," wrote commentator Alex Fishman in the top-selling Yediot Aharonot newspaper.

"It is unlikely that the Iranian intelligence officer in Tehran who is responsible for organising this wave will win a promotion for his achievements so far," he wrote.

"But the existence of this wave means that there are additional terror cells out there in other places on the planet, which are continuing to seek an Israeli target. The order given to make every effort to get Israel to stop killing Iranian scientists has already been issued, and these attempted terror attacks will continue."

On January 13, Thai police arrested a Lebanese man with suspected links to Hezbollah on suspicion he was preparing to attack tourists, with Israel warning its citizens to avoid Bangkok due to "a serious and imminent danger."

A few days later, Azerbaijan said it had arrested three men who were planning to attack Israelis working at a Jewish school in Baku.

Following Monday's attempted bombings, the Israeli foreign ministry raised the state of alert at its embassies to the highest existing level over concerns they marked "the beginning of a wave of terrorism," Maariv reported.

Even in Israel, police raised the general state of alert "with emphasis on security in public places and areas, including foreign embassies and places of foreign interest, such as the airport," spokesman Micky Rosenfeld told AFP.

The bombers in New Delhi and Tbilisi used magnetic bombs -- in what appeared to be an identical modus operandi used by those involved in killing the Iranian scientists.

The incidents took place between the anniversaries of the killing of two top Hezbollah militants, whose deaths were blamed on Israel and sparked vows of revenge from the Shiite militia group.

-- (c) Copyright AFP 2012-02-15

[webfact]

US condemns blasts in Thailand

WASHINGTON, February 15, 2012 (AFP) - The United States on Tuesday condemned blasts in Thailand and voiced concern about a worldwide "uptick" in such violence, including some with alleged links to Iran.

"We obviously condemn this attack," State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said of a series of explosions that rattled the Thai capital Tuesday.

"We seem to have an uptick in this kind of violence. We're concerned about it. Some of these have been linked to Iran."

Nuland said Washington was awaiting the results of investigations into the attacks in Thailand as well as attacks Monday in India and Georgia, but noted previous attacks linked to Iran and the Iranian-backed Hezbollah movement.

"These events do come on the heels of other disrupted attacks targeted at Israel and Western interests, including an Iranian-sponsored attack in Baku, Azerbaijan, and a Hezbollah-linked attack in Bangkok, Thailand," she said.

The explosions in Bangkok maimed a fleeing suspect believed to be an Iranian national.

Israel linked the attack to a wider terrorist threat, including an attack in New Delhi on Monday that seriously wounded an Israeli diplomat, and a bid to blow up an Israeli embassy car the same day in Tbilisi that was foiled.

Bangkok has been on edge since Thai police charged a Lebanese man last month suspected of planning an attack in the capital following a US warning of a possible terrorist strike against tourist areas.

Thai authorities alleged the Lebanese man had links to Hezbollah, an Iranian- and Syrian-backed Muslim Shiite group that is blacklisted as a terrorist organization by Washington.

In January, officials in Baku, Azerbaijan said police had detained two people accused of plotting attacks on prominent foreigners masterminded by a man with alleged links to Iranian intelligence.

-- (c) Copyright AFP 2012-02-15

[David48]

Selected quotes ...

Blasts rattle Bangkok

A search at the rented house turned up an unspecified amount of C-4 explosive and some home-made bombs, Bangkok police chief Pol Lt-General Winai Thongsong said.

Thitima denied the incidents were acts of terrorism, saying: "This is not sabotage ...". "Intelligence analysis said [the suspects] were arguing with one another, and the incidents are being treated as normal crimes."

The third man remains at large.

Thitima (said) ... Police now know where the [suspect is].

[Boater]

Thitima denied the incidents were acts of terrorism, saying: "This is not sabotage or related to the travel advisories issued [after last month's terrorism scare] by many countries. Police now know where the [suspect is].

"Intelligence analysis said [the suspects] were arguing with one another, and the incidents are being treated as normal crimes."

are they for real?

[David48]

Blasts rattle Bangkok as Israel accuses Iran

Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra urged people not to "jump to conclusions" about the blasts and urged people not to panic.

[necronx99]

Grenades bounce? Who knew? Do they have a warning label?

Yes, not terrorism, most Iranians settle disputes between themselves with C4 and grenades.

[Jayman]

The reaction by the Thai government to this ordeal just seems surreal to me. Is this really happening? Are they really saying this is just a normal crime? That the Iranians were arguing with each other and then started blowing things up? I'm so confused by their statements and I've no doubt that the Thai population that is hearing all this on the news is equally confused.

I just hope that all this confusion they are creating doesn't give more terrorists another opportunity to cause more causalities to innocent people of all races.

No one is blaming the Thais for this but I wish they would stop playing dumb and start acting more responsibly.

Edited February 14, 2012 by Jayman

[lovetotravel]

Thitima denied the incidents were acts of terrorism, saying: "This is not sabotage or related to the travel advisories issued [after last month's terrorism scare] by many countries. Police now know where the [suspect is].

"Intelligence analysis said [the suspects] were arguing with one another, and the incidents are being treated as normal crimes."

are they for real?

they'd be better off keeping their mouths shut. Unreal.

[Colin Yai]

The reaction by the Thai government to this ordeal just seems surreal to me. Is this really happening? Are they really saying this is just a normal crime? That the Iranians were arguing with each other and then started blowing things up? I'm so confused by their statements and I've no doubt that the Thai population that is hearing all this on the news is equally confused.

I just hope that all this confusion they are creating doesn't give more terrorists another opportunity to cause more causalities to innocent people of all races.

No one is blaming the Thias for this but I wish they would stop playing dumb and start acting more responsibly.

The Normal Thai person in the street will simply swallow all the bovine excreta thrown at that them by the "powers to be" ,this is just a normal every day crime and in no way should any future travelers to the kingdom be alarmed .

[LPCustom69]

Unbelievable Thailand.

How long until they start commenting on everything is under control, and worrying about tourism numbers?

[Colin Yai]

Unbelievable Thailand.

How long until they start commenting on everything is under control, and worrying about tourism numbers?

It will all be played down, the Thai "intelligence" agencies have the job in hand ,and the TAT will be saying its no big deal and this sort of thing is an everyday occurrence in other Country's, and in no way should it deter tourists from coming to LOS to spend their hard earned dough.

[Boater]

The reaction by the Thai government to this ordeal just seems surreal to me. Is this really happening? Are they really saying this is just a normal crime? That the Iranians were arguing with each other and then started blowing things up? I'm so confused by their statements and I've no doubt that the Thai population that is hearing all this on the news is equally confused.

I just hope that all this confusion they are creating doesn't give more terrorists another opportunity to cause more causalities to innocent people of all races.

No one is blaming the Thias for this but I wish they would stop playing dumb and start acting more responsibly.

The Normal Thai person in the street will simply swallow all the bovine excreta thrown at that them by the "powers to be" ,this is just a normal every day crime and in no way should any future travelers to the kingdom be alarmed .

alot of Thais arnt even aware what has happen !, i just spoke to a friend whom mentioned the thai news stating a crime was committed by some forigner !, amazing !

[JemJem]

I think the Iranian regime is in deep trouble if the men caught in Thailand say that they were acting under the orders of the Iranian regime. The following days will be very interesting.

Jem

Edited February 14, 2012 by JemJem

[espinoza]

But the Thai government assured us all that the terror warnings were not right ???????????????????

Can anybody trust them again ???

[Colin Yai]

The reaction by the Thai government to this ordeal just seems surreal to me. Is this really happening? Are they really saying this is just a normal crime? That the Iranians were arguing with each other and then started blowing things up? I'm so confused by their statements and I've no doubt that the Thai population that is hearing all this on the news is equally confused.

I just hope that all this confusion they are creating doesn't give more terrorists another opportunity to cause more causalities to innocent people of all races.

No one is blaming the Thias for this but I wish they would stop playing dumb and start acting more responsibly.

The Normal Thai person in the street will simply swallow all the bovine excreta thrown at that them by the "powers to be" ,this is just a normal every day crime and in no way should any future travelers to the kingdom be alarmed .

alot of Thais arnt even aware what has happen !, i just spoke to a friend whom mentioned the thai news stating a crime was committed by some forigner !, amazing !

Did you really expect anything else?, money rules here, and anything which may hinder it from rolling in by the tourist baht is to a certain degree"suppressed"

[webfact]

Iranian suspect held as blasts rattle Bangkok

by Anusak Konglang

BANGKOK, February 14, 2012 (AFP) - A suspected Iranian bomber had his legs blown off as he hurled a grenade at Thai police Tuesday, officials said, with Israel accusing Tehran of being behind the third attack in world capitals this week.

The explosion in central Bangkok came a day after bombers targeted Israeli embassy staff in the capitals of India and Georgia, with a female diplomat critically wounded in New Delhi, in attacks Israel said were plotted by Iran.

Thai bomb squad experts were called out to the Sukhumvit Road area in the east of the city after a blast at a house, following which three men were seen fleeing, authorities said.

One of the men hurled an explosive device at a taxi, which refused to stop, and then tried to throw another at police, triggering a blast at the side of a busy road which tore off his legs, they said.

Police said they found Iranian identification on the injured man, who was admitted to a Bangkok hospital for emergency treatment.

"So it's likely that he's an Iranian national," Major General Pisit Pisuthisak, deputy commander of Bangkok Metropolitan Police, told AFP.

A high pressure water cannon was used to defuse another device found inside the same house, police said.

Authorities detained an Iranian man at Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi Airport for questioning but it was not immediately clear if he was one of the other suspects, whose motives were unknown.

Bangkok has been on the watch for a terror attack since police last month charged a Lebanese man suspected of planning a strike following a US warning that tourist areas maybe targeted.

Thai authorities alleged the Lebanese man had links to Hezbollah, an Iranian- and Syrian-backed Muslim Shiite group that is blacklisted as a terrorist organisation by Washington.

Israel was quick to accuse Iran of involvement in the blasts in Bangkok Tuesday.

"The attempted attack in Bangkok proves once again that Iran and its proxies are continuing to act in the ways of terror and the latest attacks are an example of that," Israeli Defence Minister Ehud Barak said.

The country assailed Iran as the world's "biggest exporter of terror" after Monday's attacks in India and Georgia, amid rising tensions in the region.

The blast in New Delhi blew up a car, critically wounding the Israeli diplomat and her Indian driver.

In Tbilisi, an Israeli embassy employee found a bomb on his car and contacted police who were able to defuse the device before it detonated, according to Georgia's interior ministry.

Thai police said they had found no direct link between Tuesday's bombings and the earlier threat but had received a separate warning from intelligence sources about a potential new attack.

"There was some warning of a possible attack and police were monitoring, but we did not know where it would happen," national police chief Phrewphan Damapong told reporters.

The United States condemned the Bangkok blasts and voiced concern about a worldwide "uptick" in such violence, including some with alleged links to Iran.

"We're concerned about it. Some of these (attacks) have been linked to Iran," State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said.

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton condemned Monday's attacks in India and Georgia in the "strongest possible terms", although the White House reserved judgment on who was responsible.

Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast has rejected the accusations that Tehran was responsible. "Iran condemns all acts of terrorism," he was quoted as saying by Al-Alam television.

Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra urged people not to "jump to conclusions" and urged people not to panic.

The safety scares are 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.

Security has been stepped up around possible targets in Bangkok, including the Israeli embassy and the Khao San Road backpacker district.

Britain on Tuesday warned its citizens in the country to be on guard following the latest incident.

-- (c) Copyright AFP 2012-02-15

[Reasonableman]

Implausible denial.

Thitima denied the incidents were acts of terrorism, saying: "This is not sabotage or related to the travel advisories issued [after last month's terrorism scare] by many countries. Police now know where the [suspect is].

"Intelligence analysis said [the suspects] were arguing with one another, and the incidents are being treated as normal crimes."

are they for real?

[necronx99]

Implausible denial.

Thitima denied the incidents were acts of terrorism, saying: "This is not sabotage or related to the travel advisories issued [after last month's terrorism scare] by many countries. Police now know where the [suspect is].

"Intelligence analysis said [the suspects] were arguing with one another, and the incidents are being treated as normal crimes."

are they for real?

They all got their media training from Iraq's Comical Ali.

US Tanks? what tanks?

[toenail]

Thank goodness the Iranian "wanna be" was an amateur and his mission wasn't totally carried through. I realize my Western thinking is different than the governments, but you would think the govenment would take this as a "wake up call" and get serious instead of acting like nothing serious is happening in the capital city. Also, don't they realize countries today have terrorists problems of some sort and tourists are (usually) not scared off - it has happened in London, Paris, New York, Madrid, Jakarta...the list goes on and these cities are still receiving tourists. What will scare people off is the government's denial of "evil doers" and not taking any pro-action about it.

[webfact]

Thai officials: Attacks in Bangkok aimed at Israelis

By JPOST.COM STAFF

Two Iranians arrested in connection with blasts, police in pursuit of three suspects, say Thai defense officials.

JERUSALEM: -- Two suspects have been arrested, and police were in pursuit of three additional suspects. The first arrest is an Iranian man who was hospitalized Bangkok when a bomb he was carrying exploded and blew one of his legs off. The second is 42-year-old Mohammad Hazai, who was arrested at the airport just before boarding a flight to Malaysia.

Defense Minister Ehud Barak on Tuesday said that the series of bomb blasts that struck Thailand was part of an attempted terrorist attack perpetrated by Iran.

Shortly before the blast that wounded the Iranian bomber there had been an explosion in a house the man was renting in the Ekamai area of central Bangkok, and shortly afterward, another blast on a nearby road. Five people were injured in the explosions.

"The attempted terror attack in Thailand proves once again that Iran and its proxies continue to operate in the ways of terror and the latest attacks are an example of that," Barak said while on a state visit to Singapore. The incident came one day after near simultaneous attacks on Israeli embassies in India and Georgia.

Full story: http://www.jpost.com....aspx?id=257822

-- jpost.com 2012-02-15

[webfact]

Thailand blasts: 'Iranian' bomber injured in Bangkok

BANGKOK: -- A man thought to be Iranian has had both legs blown off after attempting to throw a bomb at police in the Thai capital, Bangkok, officials say.

Two other explosions were reported in the same busy commercial district of the city, injuring four other people.

Police said one blast took place at the house the injured man rented with other Iranians. One of those men also threw a bomb at a taxi in the capital.

Last month, the US embassy warned of possible attacks in Bangkok.

The warning over possible attacks last month was of attacks perhaps against Israeli and American interests, and a man has been arrested in connection with those and some materials were found.

Full story: http://www.bbc.co.uk...d-asia-17026007

-- BBC 2012-02-15

[givenall]

Iranian suspect held as blasts rattle Bangkok

by Anusak Konglang

BANGKOK, February 14, 2012 (AFP) - A suspected Iranian bomber had his legs blown off as he hurled a grenade at Thai police Tuesday, officials said, with Israel accusing Tehran of being behind the third attack in world capitals this week.

The explosion in central Bangkok came a day after bombers targeted Israeli embassy staff in the capitals of India and Georgia, with a female diplomat critically wounded in New Delhi, in attacks Israel said were plotted by Iran.

Thai bomb squad experts were called out to the Sukhumvit Road area in the east of the city after a blast at a house, following which three men were seen fleeing, authorities said.

One of the men hurled an explosive device at a taxi, which refused to stop, and then tried to throw another at police, triggering a blast at the side of a busy road which tore off his legs, they said.

Police said they found Iranian identification on the injured man, who was admitted to a Bangkok hospital for emergency treatment.

"So it's likely that he's an Iranian national," Major General Pisit Pisuthisak, deputy commander of Bangkok Metropolitan Police, told AFP.

A high pressure water cannon was used to defuse another device found inside the same house, police said.

Authorities detained an Iranian man at Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi Airport for questioning but it was not immediately clear if he was one of the other suspects, whose motives were unknown.

Bangkok has been on the watch for a terror attack since police last month charged a Lebanese man suspected of planning a strike following a US warning that tourist areas maybe targeted.

Thai authorities alleged the Lebanese man had links to Hezbollah, an Iranian- and Syrian-backed Muslim Shiite group that is blacklisted as a terrorist organisation by Washington.

Israel was quick to accuse Iran of involvement in the blasts in Bangkok Tuesday.

"The attempted attack in Bangkok proves once again that Iran and its proxies are continuing to act in the ways of terror and the latest attacks are an example of that," Israeli Defence Minister Ehud Barak said.

The country assailed Iran as the world's "biggest exporter of terror" after Monday's attacks in India and Georgia, amid rising tensions in the region.

The blast in New Delhi blew up a car, critically wounding the Israeli diplomat and her Indian driver.

In Tbilisi, an Israeli embassy employee found a bomb on his car and contacted police who were able to defuse the device before it detonated, according to Georgia's interior ministry.

Thai police said they had found no direct link between Tuesday's bombings and the earlier threat but had received a separate warning from intelligence sources about a potential new attack.

"There was some warning of a possible attack and police were monitoring, but we did not know where it would happen," national police chief Phrewphan Damapong told reporters.

The United States condemned the Bangkok blasts and voiced concern about a worldwide "uptick" in such violence, including some with alleged links to Iran.

"We're concerned about it. Some of these (attacks) have been linked to Iran," State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said.

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton condemned Monday's attacks in India and Georgia in the "strongest possible terms", although the White House reserved judgment on who was responsible.

Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast has rejected the accusations that Tehran was responsible. "Iran condemns all acts of terrorism," he was quoted as saying by Al-Alam television.

Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra urged people not to "jump to conclusions" and urged people not to panic.

The safety scares are 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.

Security has been stepped up around possible targets in Bangkok, including the Israeli embassy and the Khao San Road backpacker district.

Britain on Tuesday warned its citizens in the country to be on guard following the latest incident.

-- (c) Copyright AFP 2012-02-15

It is ok for Israel to use a terror group to kill Iranian scientist, but no ok for some other Iranian group to retaliate against Israel

[Microwave]

I wonder if these Iranians also smuggled "ice" into Thailand?

[KeyserSoze01]

"So far, we haven't found any links between these two cases," senior police commander Pol General Pansiri Prapawat said.

Police said that after the first explosion, the three men ran from the house, and one of them, initially identified as Saeid Moradi, tried to hail a taxi. When the taxi did not stop to pick him up, he threw a grenade at it, only to have the grenade bounce back and explode, severing his legs.

Seems that Pol General Prapawat is out of the loop.

You can't make this stuff up.

[Ulysses G.]

It is ok for Israel to use a terror group to kill Iranian scientist, but no ok for some other Iranian group to retaliate against Israel

A scientist making illegal nuclear weapons as contrasted with terrorists slaughtering innocent civilians to make a political point.

[Reasonableman]

Attempted murder of Thai nationals in Thailand seems a particularly inept and cowardly method of attacking Israel. Won't win many supporters here with that method.

It is ok for Israel to use a terror group to kill Iranian scientist, but no ok for some other Iranian group to retaliate against Israel

A scientist making illegal nuclear weapons as contrasted with terrorists slaughtering innocent civilians to make a political point.

Edited February 15, 2012 by Reasonableman

[donkeykong]

Why the few days detour for all 3 of them in Pattaya?

[Microwave]

These men arrived in Phuket from Malaysia on Feb. 8. They then:

1. came to Bangkok

2. were able to obtain bomb-making materials

3. visit Pattaya for 3 days

4. rent a house in Bangkok for 3 days or so

5. make their bombs

6. then try to use their bombs on Feb. 14.

I reckon they had help in Thailand as, at least to this reader, 6 days seems like a VERY short period of time to do all that they did...

Edited February 15, 2012 by Microwave