Court Issues Arrest Warrant For 5Th Suspect In Bkk Explosions

[Lite Beer]

Court issues arrest warrant for 5th suspect in BKK explosions

BANGKOK, Feb 19 – A court has issued an arrest warrant for a fifth suspect involved in explosions in Bangkok on February 14 while the police are fast tracking investigation of a sixth suspect.

The fifth suspect is a Middle East man who may have been involved in the explosions at Sukhumvit 71 on Tuesday after CCTV footage captured his image walking from the rented house where the first bomb apparently exploded by accident.

According to CCTV records, he had left the house between 7-8 am, and the first explosion occurred at a rented house in Sukhumvit 71’s Soi Pridi Panomyong 31 that afternoon.

He was charged with possessing explosive materials and harming other persons and property.

The fifth suspect is not Nikkhahfard Javad as earlier reported, and Deputy Police Chief Pol Gen Pansiri Prapawat will give further details at a press conference on Monday. The police are gathering evidence on the sixth suspect who accompanied Ms Rohani Leilato to rent the house where the explosion occurred. She is one of four suspects with early arrest warrants.

The investigation team will convene a meeting on Monday to scrutinise evidence gathered at blast sites and follow up on the progress of the case at the metropolitan police headquarters on Monday.

Thailand’s Criminal Court on Thursday issued arrest warrants to four Iranians on various charges related to Tuesday’s Bangkok bomb incidents.

Two Iranian suspects were arrested earlier -- Saeid Moradi, 28, who lost both legs from his own explosive device -- and another suspect, Mohammad Hazaei, 42, who was taken into custody at Suvarnabhumi Airport on Tuesday while attempting to board a plane bound for Malaysia.

A third Iranian identified as Masoud Sedaghatzadeh was arrested on Wednesday by Malaysian authorities in Kuala Lumpur.

Thai authorities are working to conclude and translate a document to be submitted to Malaysia to seek extradition to Thailand for prosecution.

Regarding a fourth suspect, an Iranian national identified as Rohani Leila, Immigration Bureau Commissioner Pol Lt Gen Wiboon Bangthamai cited intelligence reports that she returned to the Iranian capital of Tehran.

Ms Rohani was identified as the person who rented the house at Soi Pridi Panomyong 31 in Sukhumvit 71. (MCOT online news)

-- TNA 2012-02-19

[pimay11]

And I am sure that the most high and esteemed Iran ambassador to Thailand Mr. Majid Bismark will cooperate fully with the Thai authorities in bringing Ms. Leila back to Thailand immediately for questioning. As he has stated Iran will cooperate fully in the investigation. When pigs fly.

[chinook]

Off topic I know........ I really appreciate TV forum as a good source of info in Thailand, but...could the TV admin do some editorial work on the news articles? Whilst the news is often of interest, I find the writing style sometimes so disjointed it makes reading the articles somewhat tedious.

[Scott]

Thanks for your comment, even if it is off-topic. The news articles are taken from other sources. Thaivisa does not do its own reporting. At the bottom of the articles, you will find the news source.

[Nisa]

And I am sure that the most high and esteemed Iran ambassador to Thailand Mr. Majid Bismark will cooperate fully with the Thai authorities in bringing Ms. Leila back to Thailand immediately for questioning. As he has stated Iran will cooperate fully in the investigation. When pigs fly.

I'd be curious to see the reaction from Tehran if it was actually one of the real suspects. In this case it is simply somebody who they appear to have nothing on except for "possibly" knowing people who were up to no good ... at least from what they told us in the news, they cannot even connect her to the three at the house and it could have been another party she rented the house to who in turn let these guys in. Even if the could connect her to them there is nothing to say she is no different than the working girls in Pattaya who where with these guys. However, if they did have some evidence she was involved in a terrorist and/or an assassination plot, it would also be interesting to see how the few countries who continue to enable Iran would react if Iran refused to cooperate. Even now it looks bad if they don't haul the girl in for questioning but this is the stuff we've come to expect from Iran and its enablers excusing.

[blows]

Wow, six suspects now.

[webfact]

Warrant issued for fifth bomb suspect

Supharat Iamtal, Kesinee Tangkheo, Watthana Khamchoo

The Nation

Police to discuss sixth suspect - a second Iranian woman today; Officials to intensify checks on taxis with foreign passengers

BANGKOK: -- An arrest warrant has been approved for a fifth suspect in the triple blasts in Bangkok last Tuesday. The suspect was identified by a Bangkok police source as a middleaged man seen going in and out of a house used to store explosives for a week prior to last week's accidental explosion.

The source would not confirm whether the suspect was Nikkhahfard Javad, identified earlier by defence intelligence sources as a possible suspect, and the subject of media speculation that he is a bombassembly expert.

A police description of Javad as being about 160 cm tall matches the height of a foreigner seen on security camera footage in the area where the blasts occurred. He was last seen leaving the house, located off Soi Pridi Banomyong 36, at around 7am on Tuesday. The first blast occurred at the house at around 1pm that day.

According to the source, the man in the footage, thought to have visited the house to teach three Iranian men living there to assemble bombs, has been charged with making bombs, possessing explosives without permission, and causing explosions leading to injuries.

Police will today make a statement at a press conference at 9am about a sixth suspect, whom they said was seen by witnesses arranging to rent the house with Rohanni Laila, an Iranian woman now believed to have returned to her home country. An earlier news report identified the sixth suspect as Fatemeh Ghaheri, an Iranian woman.

A suspect arrested in Malaysia, Masoud Seda Ghatzadeh, 27, should be handed to Thai authorities soon, as a request has been prepared for Malaysian authorities, said Wantchai Rujjanawong, a senior public prosecutor. The request should be sent this week, Wantchai said.

Police found a motorcycle abandoned near the scene, and later determined that it had been sold for Bt26,400 to Masoud Seda Ghatzadeh. The owner was registered as Mohammad Hazai, who was arrested at Suvarnabhumi Airport last Tuesday. The owner of the motorcycle shop said another foreign man had come in to take a look around a day or two before the purchase, but there were no details on whether she had identified this man to police.

Police did not offer any ideas on the suspected role of the motorcycle in the suspects' plans. In a recent terror incident in India, attackers on a motorcycle placed a magnetic bomb on a vehicle of an Israeli diplomat, wounding her and her driver.

Thailand Post has ordered a blanket inspection of all parcels sent from overseas, in case of an attempted parcelbombing. Managing director Anusara Jitmittrapharb said only one such bombing had been recorded in the past 20 years, the result of a personal conflict, not an act of terrorism.

She said that around 76,000 parcels a month are sent from overseas to Thailand, compared to 2 million sent and received domestically. She said major post offices were equipped with bombdetecting devices, adding that parcels sent via air freight would be jointly inspected by customs officials.

To heighten security, all 88 police stations in Bangkok have been instructed to step up random checks of taxis with foreign passengers, said Pol MajGeneral Saroj Phromjaroen, a deputy Bangkok police chief. This measure would be enforced mainly in popular tourist spots like Khao San Road, as well as near embassies and the residences of foreign diplomats.

The Interior Ministry has instructed governors of provinces with popular tourist attractions to impose stricter security measures, especially in areas where Israelis, Iranians, or those from the Middle East reside or gather.

The provinces in focus are Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai, Ubon Ratchathani, Udon Thani, Khon Kaen, Chon Buri, Surat Thani, Phuket and Songkhla. Provincial authorities have been ordered to implement the measures discreetly to avoid panicking foreigners and affecting tourism.

A Suan Dusit poll found that respondents paid almost equal attention to news reports of the blasts in Bangkok and reports of a secret visit by Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra to a luxury hotel.

Of 1,374 capital residents surveyed on February 1518, 85.25 per cent said the blasts were of interest them, while 83.38 per cent expressed interest in the gossip involving Yingluck.

Rehabilitation and floodprevention measures came third with 74.81 per cent, while the high cost of living and fuel prices followed at 67.74 per cent.

-- The Nation 2012-02-20

[Jayman]

To heighten security, all 88 police stations in Bangkok have been instructed to step up random checks of taxis with foreign passengers, said Pol MajGeneral Saroj Phromjaroen, a deputy Bangkok police chief. This measure would be enforced mainly in popular tourist spots like Khao San Road, as well as near embassies and the residences of foreign diplomats.

-- The Nation 2012-02-20

I wonder what this entails. Will they stop taxis with foreigners and search the occupants? Just stop them and ask them where they are going and what they intend to do? Doesn't seem very tourist friendly if you ask me. Not even sure what good this would cause. Is this cause some would be terrorists tried to hail a taxi and then threw a bomb at it? Kinda confused by this reaction to stop taxis with tourists.

Edited February 19, 2012 by Jayman

[MikeOboe57]

And I am sure that the most high and esteemed Iran ambassador to Thailand Mr. Majid Bismark will cooperate fully with the Thai authorities in bringing Ms. Leila back to Thailand immediately for questioning. As he has stated Iran will cooperate fully in the investigation. When pigs fly.

I'd be curious to see the reaction from Tehran if it was actually one of the real suspects. In this case it is simply somebody who they appear to have nothing on except for "possibly" knowing people who were up to no good ... at least from what they told us in the news, they cannot even connect her to the three at the house and it could have been another party she rented the house to who in turn let these guys in. Even if the could connect her to them there is nothing to say she is no different than the working girls in Pattaya who where with these guys. However, if they did have some evidence she was involved in a terrorist and/or an assassination plot, it would also be interesting to see how the few countries who continue to enable Iran would react if Iran refused to cooperate. Even now it looks bad if they don't haul the girl in for questioning but this is the stuff we've come to expect from Iran and its enablers excusing.

Or the three stooges stole her key and she had to fly home...

Why would the Iranian Government question citizens who did what they have been told for 30 years - fight the "Zionists"?

[sparebox2]

These bad Iranians should spend the rest of their time in Isreal jail.

Or sent to Nakorn Patom to hard labour in a live stock farm.

[blows]

These bad Iranians should spend the rest of their time in Isreal jail.

Or sent to Nakorn Patom to hard labour in a live stock farm.

I vote for the latter, since they have insulted Thailand and no doubt have cost Thailand tourist dollars.

[newermonkey]

These bad Iranians should spend the rest of their time in Isreal jail.

Or sent to Nakorn Patom to hard labour in a live stock farm.

No I disagree. They should be sentenced to death by a Thai court. send them to see the fictional character they desperately want to see and spend time in heaven messing around with little boys just like the fictional book promises.

[MEL1]

"According to CCTV records, he had left the house between 7-8 am"

That's pretty accurate time keeping for a CCTV camera. Oh! Then again, it must have been one of the useful fake ones, oops 'dummy' ones.

-mel.

[BigJohnnyBKK]

I wonder what this entails. Will they stop taxis with foreigners and search the occupants? Just stop them and ask them where they are going and what they intend to do? Doesn't seem very tourist friendly if you ask me. Not even sure what good this would cause. Is this cause some would be terrorists tried to hail a taxi and then threw a bomb at it? Kinda confused by this reaction to stop taxis with tourists.

As usual here, the authorities need to be **seen to be** doing something that **makes it look like** they're making things more secure.

They have all their usual daily checkpoints schedule set up for extracting bribes, so all they have to do is look for foreign-looking people in the back, no extra expense or inconvenience for them, which of course is the most important thing. I suppose they might even ask to look at some papers for "muslim-looking" foreigners, but I doubt it, that would verge on actual effectiveness. . .