Arab-like man seen leaving bag at Erawan shrine before bomb explosion

[beb]

the screen grabs and video of the suspect are all over the internet for those here that are having trouble.

[Sandy Freckle]

I would punt he's a rouge lone wolf wearing a wig, T-shirt and pants over another T-shirt and pants plus large disguising glasses…., but after the deed, where could he change unobserved…., ?
Anyway the authorities do things differently in Thailand…..,

Edited August 19, 2015 by Sandy Freckle

[tumama]

Good write up:

http://www.straitstimes.com/opinion/aftermath-of-thailands-worst-ever-attack

What exactly is so good about it? That an "expert" is as smart as most Thaksin bashers on this forum? This is nothing but obvious anti-red propaganda.

[JohnThailandJohn]

Can see the internet detectives are once again hard at work ... obviously this means there will be all sorts of ignorant speculation on pretend facts or to fill in faux facts to fill in what is not shared and God forbid the number of vast conspiracy allegations to follow if the culprit doesn't turn out to be who they want.

[beb]

Good write up:

http://www.straitstimes.com/opinion/aftermath-of-thailands-worst-ever-attack

What exactly is so good about it? That an "expert" is as smart as most Thaksin bashers on this forum? This is nothing but obvious anti-red propaganda.

The last words of the piece:

---------

"How the junta responds will be closely watched... An all-out assault on Malay separatists or a rounding up of 'red shirt' leaders is most likely the next move... That may be counter-productive. An opening of democratic process and inclusive governance would be a smarter and more effective way to tackle deep grievances in Thai society."

--------------------

I don't see how this comes across as anything anti-red. Seems pretty common sense.

[livingthedream]

https://youtu.be/lLe-eZstcOE

I have wanted to post something on this thread for some time since the news of the cowardly bombing broke; but having lived here for a while, I've learnt to control my initial gut reaction and forced myself to wait for more (from the available 'trusted sources' ) indisputable 'evidence' and substantiated 'facts' from reliable TV members before steaming off in my own un/miss/informed diatribe - which (and we are all guilty of this) is a natural consequence of my absolute abhorrence of the fact that someone decided that a bomb blast at the Erawan Shrine was 'a good idea' .

That said -

The man seen on video taking off his back pack at the shrine and walking away without it is, to me, irrefutable evidence of a back pack style bomb set off remotely by mobile phone – which it appears he seems to be in the process of doing, as he gets far away enough to ensure his safety. This is not the MO of a religious fanatic unless he is the type of religious fanatic that couldn’t persuade another religious fanatic to jihad his way into immortality etc... No, this is either terrorist style - 'do as you're told or your family gets it ' attack or something like a 'here’s a lot of money ....just do this' attack or as we have been conditioned to believe – a politically motivated attack (except no-one has yet stepped forward to claim responsibility)

I don’t know, but he doesn’t appear nervous or have second thoughts, just goes through with the plan and walks away. If the bomb is detonated by him by phone, then he did it casually as he was leaving but if it was detonated by someone watching from another nearby location then that opens another can of worms ....and more CCTV footage

I'm not going for the home grown lone bomber/ political grievance / Army promotions/ university wars / Uighur/ Southern Thailand/ Redshirt theories

I think that, the fact that, even 24 hours after the event that no credible terrorist cell has yet claimed responsibility suggests that this couldn’t be a strategy from separatist Islamists/Chinese seeking funds/ approval from ISIS or AQ. … So who? Why?

Whatever - my absolute contempt for the perpetrator of this bombing and the atrocity that I have witnessed (via social media) have led me, by proxy, to identify this particular 'suspect' as a “lower than life species” that should be quickly apprehended and given the opportunity to explain himself at an international court consisting of international judges appointed by the UN (with a Thai judge leading proceedings) in order to establish - (A). The Motive, (. The Leaders/Financiers ©. The recommendations for further international condemnation and sanctions and, (D). What can we possibly do further to prevent another random attack somewhere in the world? – all of which will resolve nothing

My views are my own . I’ve been wrong (often)before but Nothing can justify the loss of innocent human life in the cause of religion, politics or self-destruction.

May you Rest in Peace those that were forced to leave this life before they were prepared.

And may you rot in hell all those who believe this has furthered human existence.

https://youtu.be/lLe-eZstcOE

I have wanted to post something on this thread for some time since the news of the cowardly bombing broke; but having lived here for a while, I've learnt to control my initial gut reaction and forced myself to wait for more (from the available 'trusted sources' ) indisputable 'evidence' and substantiated 'facts' from reliable TV members before steaming off in my own un/miss/informed diatribe - which (and we are all guilty of this) is a natural consequence of my absolute abhorrence of the fact that someone decided that a bomb blast at the Erawan Shrine was 'a good idea' .

That said -

The man seen on video taking off his back pack at the shrine and walking away without it is, to me, irrefutable evidence of a back pack style bomb set off remotely by mobile phone – which it appears he seems to be in the process of doing, as he gets far away enough to ensure his safety. This is not the MO of a religious fanatic unless he is the type of religious fanatic that couldn’t persuade another religious fanatic to jihad his way into immortality etc... No, this is either terrorist style - 'do as you're told or your family gets it ' attack or something like a 'here’s a lot of money ....just do this' attack or as we have been conditioned to believe – a politically motivated attack (except no-one has yet stepped forward to claim responsibility)

I don’t know, but he doesn’t appear nervous or have second thoughts, just goes through with the plan and walks away. If the bomb is detonated by him by phone, then he did it casually as he was leaving but if it was detonated by someone watching from another nearby location then that opens another can of worms ....and more CCTV footage

I'm not going for the home grown lone bomber/ political grievance / Army promotions/ university wars / Uighur/ Southern Thailand/ Redshirt theories

I think that, the fact that, even 24 hours after the event that no credible terrorist cell has yet claimed responsibility suggests that this couldn’t be a strategy from separatist Islamists/Chinese seeking funds/ approval from ISIS or AQ. … So who? Why?

Whatever - my absolute contempt for the perpetrator of this bombing and the atrocity that I have witnessed (via social media) have led me, by proxy, to identify this particular 'suspect' as a “lower than life species” that should be quickly apprehended and given the opportunity to explain himself at an international court consisting of international judges appointed by the UN (with a Thai judge leading proceedings) in order to establish - (A). The Motive, (. The Leaders/Financiers ©. The recommendations for further international condemnation and sanctions and, (D). What can we possibly do further to prevent another random attack somewhere in the world? – all of which will resolve nothing

My views are my own . I’ve been wrong (often)before but Nothing can justify the loss of innocent human life in the cause of religion, politics or self-destruction.

May you Rest in Peace those that were forced to leave this life before they were prepared.

And may you rot in hell all those who believe this has furthered human existence on this planet

[hugh2121]

A rumor only.

It may be possible, but all the television coverage on Thai T.V. has not shown this footage yet.

As any experienced policeman will tell you "eye witnesses" are notoriously unreliable...... they tend to see what they are preconditioned by their prejudices to see.

Just ask any Black American who, if someone yells, "Stop that man", the police will chase the white business man in a suit or the black janitor with a broom in his hand.

Excellent video at bbc.co.uk

[Linzz]

https://youtu.be/lLe-eZstcOE

I have wanted to post something on this thread for some time since the news of the cowardly bombing broke; but having lived here for a while, I've learnt to control my initial gut reaction and forced myself to wait for more (from the available 'trusted sources' ) indisputable 'evidence' and substantiated 'facts' from reliable TV members before steaming off in my own un/miss/informed diatribe - which (and we are all guilty of this) is a natural consequence of my absolute abhorrence of the fact that someone decided that a bomb blast at the Erawan Shrine was 'a good idea' .

That said -

The man seen on video taking off his back pack at the shrine and walking away without it is, to me, irrefutable evidence of a back pack style bomb set off remotely by mobile phone – which it appears he seems to be in the process of doing, as he gets far away enough to ensure his safety. This is not the MO of a religious fanatic unless he is the type of religious fanatic that couldn’t persuade another religious fanatic to jihad his way into immortality etc... No, this is either terrorist style - 'do as you're told or your family gets it ' attack or something like a 'here’s a lot of money ....just do this' attack or as we have been conditioned to believe – a politically motivated attack (except no-one has yet stepped forward to claim responsibility)

I don’t know, but he doesn’t appear nervous or have second thoughts, just goes through with the plan and walks away. If the bomb is detonated by him by phone, then he did it casually as he was leaving but if it was detonated by someone watching from another nearby location then that opens another can of worms ....and more CCTV footage

I'm not going for the home grown lone bomber/ political grievance / Army promotions/ university wars / Uighur/ Southern Thailand/ Redshirt theories

I think that, the fact that, even 24 hours after the event that no credible terrorist cell has yet claimed responsibility suggests that this couldn’t be a strategy from separatist Islamists/Chinese seeking funds/ approval from ISIS or AQ. … So who? Why?

Whatever - my absolute contempt for the perpetrator of this bombing and the atrocity that I have witnessed (via social media) have led me, by proxy, to identify this particular 'suspect' as a “lower than life species” that should be quickly apprehended and given the opportunity to explain himself at an international court consisting of international judges appointed by the UN (with a Thai judge leading proceedings) in order to establish - (A). The Motive, (. The Leaders/Financiers ©. The recommendations for further international condemnation and sanctions and, (D). What can we possibly do further to prevent another random attack somewhere in the world? – all of which will resolve nothing

My views are my own . I’ve been wrong (often)before but Nothing can justify the loss of innocent human life in the cause of religion, politics or self-destruction.

May you Rest in Peace those that were forced to leave this life before they were prepared.

And may you rot in hell all those who believe this has furthered human existence.

https://youtu.be/lLe-eZstcOE

I have wanted to post something on this thread for some time since the news of the cowardly bombing broke; but having lived here for a while, I've learnt to control my initial gut reaction and forced myself to wait for more (from the available 'trusted sources' ) indisputable 'evidence' and substantiated 'facts' from reliable TV members before steaming off in my own un/miss/informed diatribe - which (and we are all guilty of this) is a natural consequence of my absolute abhorrence of the fact that someone decided that a bomb blast at the Erawan Shrine was 'a good idea' .

That said -

The man seen on video taking off his back pack at the shrine and walking away without it is, to me, irrefutable evidence of a back pack style bomb set off remotely by mobile phone – which it appears he seems to be in the process of doing, as he gets far away enough to ensure his safety. This is not the MO of a religious fanatic unless he is the type of religious fanatic that couldn’t persuade another religious fanatic to jihad his way into immortality etc... No, this is either terrorist style - 'do as you're told or your family gets it ' attack or something like a 'here’s a lot of money ....just do this' attack or as we have been conditioned to believe – a politically motivated attack (except no-one has yet stepped forward to claim responsibility)

I don’t know, but he doesn’t appear nervous or have second thoughts, just goes through with the plan and walks away. If the bomb is detonated by him by phone, then he did it casually as he was leaving but if it was detonated by someone watching from another nearby location then that opens another can of worms ....and more CCTV footage

I'm not going for the home grown lone bomber/ political grievance / Army promotions/ university wars / Uighur/ Southern Thailand/ Redshirt theories

I think that, the fact that, even 24 hours after the event that no credible terrorist cell has yet claimed responsibility suggests that this couldn’t be a strategy from separatist Islamists/Chinese seeking funds/ approval from ISIS or AQ. … So who? Why?

Whatever - my absolute contempt for the perpetrator of this bombing and the atrocity that I have witnessed (via social media) have led me, by proxy, to identify this particular 'suspect' as a “lower than life species” that should be quickly apprehended and given the opportunity to explain himself at an international court consisting of international judges appointed by the UN (with a Thai judge leading proceedings) in order to establish - (A). The Motive, (. The Leaders/Financiers ©. The recommendations for further international condemnation and sanctions and, (D). What can we possibly do further to prevent another random attack somewhere in the world? – all of which will resolve nothing

My views are my own . I’ve been wrong (often)before but Nothing can justify the loss of innocent human life in the cause of religion, politics or self-destruction.

May you Rest in Peace those that were forced to leave this life before they were prepared.

And may you rot in hell all those who believe this has furthered human existence on this planet

Well, this has led me, by proxy, to identify this particular contribution as a great example of verbosity rendering no new or useful information other than what is already known or thought or already said. Then you went on to say it twice!

Sorry but you only needed to say your second to last sentence which is agreeable and heartfelt, so thanks at least for that

[Linzz]

I apologize Livingthedream I think I was unkind (hard to un post stuff isn't it!)

[HoHoHoHoHoHoHo]

Image of the suspect released by police. Hard to tell ethnicity - could be anything from these, but that shirt is quite distinctive.

Looks like a Korean tourist to me.

Definitely not Arab in any way, shape or form.

I wss about to say the same thing. My suspicion is that he is a Thai muslim from the south.

Guy on a post earlier found the tshirt the bomber was wearing online. Sold by company in Indonesia. Muslim connection.

Wow the delusionsal connections and grabbing at straws continue some people are just twisted in the head

Using your logic sherlock, this means everyone who owns an I phone must be a commie because the phones are are made in China

No clothes are much more unique. The company that sells this shirt seems very small. Probibly a few shops. Possible to find which one the bomber visited.

BTW the Lockerbie PanAm bombing was solved by tracing the clothes stuffed in the suitcase of the bomber. Real detective work actually can be done by social media but you need to week through the screeds and creeps.

[beb]

Since everybody's guessing, the guy looks asian to me from his facial structure but the hair doesn't look Thai. Could be a wig. And the clothing and oversized glasses seem like a sort of effort to look like a tourist AND disguise.

Of course I have no idea but that's my reaction.

[JESSVANPELT]

The images and video have been online for 24 hours . You can even see the guy go to the shrine with a backpack in two , sit down take it off and get up and leave without it. Definitely Middle eastern looking.

The Thai new slinks say He was taken there by a taxi, and while he went to the shrine the taxi waited, after he left the bomb he returned to the same taxi and departed, less then 30 seconds later the bomb went off. The Taxi went to Don Mueang airport and the Taxi driver has said the man spoke english. If he went directly top the the airport , chances are he was on an outbound flight and is far from here now.

[Om85]

^{I think that this bombing can be related to the decision of the Thai government of sending bag to China the 100 Uygurs that they capture here.}

[Carmine6]

The images and video have been online for 24 hours . You can even see the guy go to the shrine with a backpack in two , sit down take it off and get up and leave without it. Definitely Middle eastern looking.

The Thai new slinks say He was taken there by a taxi, and while he went to the shrine the taxi waited, after he left the bomb he returned to the same taxi and departed, less then 30 seconds later the bomb went off. The Taxi went to Don Mueang airport and the Taxi driver has said the man spoke english. If he went directly top the the airport , chances are he was on an outbound flight and is far from here now.

Where are you getting this info? All the media stories, like this one just posted minutes ago say he took a motorcycle taxi to Silom. Also, the time stamp on the video of the guy is about 15 minutes prior to the explosion time. The time might be off on the time stamp, but 15 minutes difference seems quite a bit discrepancy. If he went straight to Don Mueang, there should be video of him easily obtainable.

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/849567-hunt-for-ratchaprasong-bomber-is-progressing/?p=9752440

"Police have questioned the motorcycle taxi driver who drove the bomb suspect to Silom shortly after the explosion."

[DirtyDan]

The images and video have been online for 24 hours . You can even see the guy go to the shrine with a backpack in two , sit down take it off and get up and leave without it. Definitely Middle eastern looking.

The Thai new slinks say He was taken there by a taxi, and while he went to the shrine the taxi waited, after he left the bomb he returned to the same taxi and departed, less then 30 seconds later the bomb went off. The Taxi went to Don Mueang airport and the Taxi driver has said the man spoke english. If he went directly top the the airport , chances are he was on an outbound flight and is far from here now.

Where are you getting this info? All the media stories, like this one just posted minutes ago say he took a motorcycle taxi to Silom. Also, the time stamp on the video of the guy is about 15 minutes prior to the explosion time. The time might be off on the time stamp, but 15 minutes difference seems quite a bit discrepancy. If he went straight to Don Mueang, there should be video of him easily obtainable.

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/849567-hunt-for-ratchaprasong-bomber-is-progressing/?p=9752440

"Police have questioned the motorcycle taxi driver who drove the bomb suspect to Silom shortly after the explosion."

You beat me to it about questioning this new "lead" on the taxi to DMK.

Time stamps are only as good as the person that sets the timer (my mother's VCR still only blinks after every time the power goes out).

Edited August 19, 2015 by DirtyDan

[BkkLifeA]

Some website post the guy they got in the airport.

not sure if i can post the link ?

http://heavy.com/news/2015/08/bangkok-erawan-hindu-shrine-bomber-identity-photo-picture-fake-passport-american-stephen-larry-fahl-united-states-thailand/4/

he (seems) had a fake US passport with the name of stephen larry fahl a birthday of 1966 but by the look of his photo he is in his 20's

seach on the name and you will see some photos of the bloke.

[mercman24]

personally i would check OLD CCTV FOOTAGE as any bomber worth his salt would do a recce first, you just dont roll up, plant your bomb and leave, you would look for any problems that may arise, escapes routes etc. that would be when he would most like be vunerable, careless, probably bring a co - conspiritor with him, yeah i know , my talents are wasted.this was never a one man job.

[keemapoot]

Some website post the guy they got in the airport.

not sure if i can post the link ?

http://heavy.com/news/2015/08/bangkok-erawan-hindu-shrine-bomber-identity-photo-picture-fake-passport-american-stephen-larry-fahl-united-states-thailand/4/

he (seems) had a fake US passport with the name of stephen larry fahl a birthday of 1966 but by the look of his photo he is in his 20's

seach on the name and you will see some photos of the bloke.

Those are interesting photos, especially the distinctive arm burn marks. I notice he is wearing some type of sarong, and one could conjecture that he ditched his shorts and other clothes that may have fragments of explosive or other material on them as evidence. If the shoes are the same, that would be a mistake.

[balo]

Some website post the guy they got in the airport.

not sure if i can post the link ?

http://heavy.com/news/2015/08/bangkok-erawan-hindu-shrine-bomber-identity-photo-picture-fake-passport-american-stephen-larry-fahl-united-states-thailand/4/

he (seems) had a fake US passport with the name of stephen larry fahl a birthday of 1966 but by the look of his photo he is in his 20's

seach on the name and you will see some photos of the bloke.

Don't listen to conspiracy websites please. The guy in the picture is the Australian teacher already been cleared . He works in Bangkok.

[BkkLifeA]

Some website post the guy they got in the airport.

not sure if i can post the link ?

http://heavy.com/news/2015/08/bangkok-erawan-hindu-shrine-bomber-identity-photo-picture-fake-passport-american-stephen-larry-fahl-united-states-thailand/4/

he (seems) had a fake US passport with the name of stephen larry fahl a birthday of 1966 but by the look of his photo he is in his 20's

seach on the name and you will see some photos of the bloke.

Don't listen to conspiracy websites please. The guy in the picture is the Australian teacher already been cleared . He works in Bangkok.

I dont claim anything, but the Aussie guy is a complete different story...... (2 days ago)

this USA person of interest is from yesterday.

please check the site again before posting.

[metisdead]

A post in which the font in the quoted post had been altered has been removed as per forum netiquette listed in the forum rules:

2. Please do not modify someone else's post in your quoted reply, either with font or color changes or wording. Such posts will be deleted and the user warned.

[LarryBird]

Some website post the guy they got in the airport.

not sure if i can post the link ?

http://heavy.com/news/2015/08/bangkok-erawan-hindu-shrine-bomber-identity-photo-picture-fake-passport-american-stephen-larry-fahl-united-states-thailand/4/

he (seems) had a fake US passport with the name of stephen larry fahl a birthday of 1966 but by the look of his photo he is in his 20's

seach on the name and you will see some photos of the bloke.

Doesn't look to be the same height...

[Tomtomtom69]

Duhhhh I guess your one of those left wing nutterS that cant see what is in front of your eyes THIS HAS EVERY MARKING OF A ISLAMIC ATROCITY

The chances that is Islamic is bit higher than a Greek bomb against the bailout and as long as I know there is no free Buenos Aires movement.

So it can be a hired Arab with a different purpose (I guess if you want to bomb you find the know-how in Arab countries) or it is Islamic motivated.

If Islamic motivated I think we should hear a statement from the group, soon. (What would be the purpose of the bomb if you can't claim credit....)

Islamic would be better for Thailand than a Red/Yellow/Democracy/Military/Police related reason.

IF it is found to be Islam related then OF COURSE it will be an Arab and not a white man responsible. A white man placing a bomb in Bangkok? Huh...that would be about the most bizarre thing I've ever heard. IF that were the case, expect angry mobs of locals throwing rocks at all westerners and then Thailand would become a no-go zone for westerners. Hope that will never happen. In a similar vein, the 1999 accidental air attack on the Belgrade Chinese embassy produced numerous attacks of westerners by Chinese people in China. Even though it was the US government and NOT the US people involved, Chinese people just blindly assumed all westerners were Americans - rocks were thrown at them and abuse hurled at people just because they were white (and assumed to be American). In homogeneous socities being a minority can be a VERY dangerous thing if even one of them does something bad, suddenly all members of that group are assumed to be bad.

But Islamic terrorists HAVE struck Bangkok before. A year or two ago some Iranian dude blew his leg off or something near Ramkhamhaeng (motive unknown), while in 1991 Hezbollah terrorists targeted the Israeli embassy.

NOW I am reading reports from the Diplomat and other sources that IF this attack was carried out by someone Islamic looking from the Middle East, most likely the motivation was the recent deportation of hundreds of Uyghurs back to China. Just a few weeks ago this action was protested by Turkish ultra-nationalists in Turkey, who targeted the Thai embassy there. Since the Erawan Shrine is mostly popular with Asian tourists (normally very few westerners go there) AND it's in a busy area I buy the theory that the motive was a revenge attack on Thailand that also hurt Chinese too, as there are usually tons of Chinese tourists at that shrine.

Another theory is that the southern terrorists have lifted their game. But Arabs are not normally associated with that conflict, so if we stick to topic and try to associate the sighting of an Arab possibly linked to this attack, then clearly the Uyghur revenge theory is quite plausible.

But I don't want to jump to any conclusions, however, as a forum topic where we can discuss our ideas, this theory, which was brought forward by the Diplomat magazine and website currently seems quite likely.

http://thediplomat.com/2015/08/interview-analyzing-thailands-erawan-shrine-bomb-blast/

You've obviously never seen a Muslim from the Caucasus region of Russia. Equally as many Chechens, and those from their neighbouring countries, can pass for a white European as those that can pass for a Turk or an Arab. The Islamic terrorist White Widows of Chechnia were given that title for a reason. They were white. Many Muslims from the Caucasus have been and still are involved in global terrorism. Best to keep an open mind as to the ethnicity of the perpetrators.

Actually, I am well aware of there being Muslims from southern Russia. I am also aware of there being people from that region involved in the Boston Marathon bombing.

And given the recent deportation of Uyghurs from Thailand to China, the subsequent demonstrations and attack on the Thai embassy in Turkey, one of the theories being brought forward is a revenge attack on Thailand for this action, with the likely perpertrator possibly coming from Turkey, since that country is kind of like the self-recognized "cultural homeland" of the Uyghurs.

And yes, both Turks and southern Russians/people from the Caucasus are largely white, but they look different enough to be able to distinguish from western Europeans or those of west European ethnicity, which is most of us on this forum.

Anything is possible.

BUT it would be unprecedented in the history of Thailand and the world, that a white (non-Muslim) person were to in fact have committed such an atrocity IN a country like Thailand. We can only hope that it doesn't turn out to be the case. Because IF that were the case, expect all westerners (and most other foreigners) to be forced onto the first plane out of Thailand, staying away permanently, for our own safety. I hope it never comes to that, but I am quite sure that in the unlikely case a westerner were involved, things could turn very nasty for us here indeed, you can rest assured about that. Of course, if it were an Arab, then they can expect trouble.

Speculation is speculation though - the images are too grainy to work out the suspect's ethnicity. Other than suffice to say he almost certainly isn't black, so we can most likely rule out an African suspect (at least black African).

[darksidedog]

This was a terrible and disgraceful act. My biggest concern is the ability of the local police to find the tiny clues that advanced specialists abroard have experience in finding. Pride to one side, and invite in the offers of forensic assistance from abroard, so these murderers can be brought to justice.

Thailand and the world demand answers.

The comment of "it's a foreigner" worry me, that a couple of Khmer or Burmese will "confess" under duress

.Kho Tao still lingers in the mind.

[darksidedog]

The images and video have been online for 24 hours . You can even see the guy go to the shrine with a backpack in two , sit down take it off and get up and leave without it. Definitely Middle eastern looking.

The Thai new slinks say He was taken there by a taxi, and while he went to the shrine the taxi waited, after he left the bomb he returned to the same taxi and departed, less then 30 seconds later the bomb went off. The Taxi went to Don Mueang airport and the Taxi driver has said the man spoke english. If he went directly top the the airport , chances are he was on an outbound flight and is far from here now.

Haven't seen any images from Don Mueang security showing this guy, which I suspect would have been checked swiftly and thoroughly.

I agree he is probably a long way off by now, but disagree that he is "definitely Middle eastern looking." I worked in the UAE for years, and he looks nothing like most arabs I met.

It's easy to throw suggestions into the air and some of them can sound great, but evidence is what is going to matter, not speculation.

Given the inter racial marriages of the last 100 years, he could be from anywhere.

Hopefully someone, somewhere, recognises the dog and turns him in to be put down.

[otherstuff1957]

http://heavy.com/news/2015/08/bangkok-erawan-hindu-shrine-bomber-identity-photo-picture-fake-passport-american-stephen-larry-fahl-united-states-thailand/1/

I don't know if this fellow is the bomber or not, but he is either the best preserved 49 year old around, or that is a fake passport!

[Linzz]

Actually, I am well aware of there being Muslims from southern Russia. I am also aware of there being people from that region involved in the Boston Marathon bombing.

And given the recent deportation of Uyghurs from Thailand to China, the subsequent demonstrations and attack on the Thai embassy in Turkey, one of the theories being brought forward is a revenge attack on Thailand for this action, with the likely perpertrator possibly coming from Turkey, since that country is kind of like the self-recognized "cultural homeland" of the Uyghurs.

And yes, both Turks and southern Russians/people from the Caucasus are largely white, but they look different enough to be able to distinguish from western Europeans or those of west European ethnicity, which is most of us on this forum.

Anything is possible.

BUT it would be unprecedented in the history of Thailand and the world, that a white (non-Muslim) person were to in fact have committed such an atrocity IN a country like Thailand. We can only hope that it doesn't turn out to be the case. Because IF that were the case, expect all westerners (and most other foreigners) to be forced onto the first plane out of Thailand, staying away permanently, for our own safety. I hope it never comes to that, but I am quite sure that in the unlikely case a westerner were involved, things could turn very nasty for us here indeed, you can rest assured about that. Of course, if it were an Arab, then they can expect trouble.

Speculation is speculation though - the images are too grainy to work out the suspect's ethnicity. Other than suffice to say he almost certainly isn't black, so we can most likely rule out an African suspect (at least black African).

"Other than suffice to say he almost certainly isn't black, so we can most likely rule out an African suspect (at least black African)."

Well that narrows it down then

[mercman24]

the force of the blast was where this guy put the rucksack, behind the bench, that is where the crater is, in a pic posted.

[MrTee]

Richard Barrow Just tweeted : The suspected Bangkok Bomber didn't speak to the motorcycle taxi driver but showed him a piece of paper that said Lumpini Park in English.

and

Taxi driver told CNN Bangkok Bomber spoke a foreign language on his phone, not English. He took him to Lumpini Park:

Edited August 19, 2015 by MrTee

[falangjim]

RTP couldn't catch a cold. This multi-descripted bag carrying bomber is in the wind.