Bangkok blast: More attacks may have been planned, police say

[webfact]

BANGKOK BLAST
More attacks may have been planned, police say
THE NATION



EMBASSY SAYS ARRESTED MAN ISN'T A TURK; SUSPECT HAS LIVED IN NONG CHOK SINCE JUNE

BANGKOK: -- THE FOREIGN suspect arrested by police on Saturday for his alleged link to the August 17 bombing of the Erawan Shrine moved into Pool Anant Apartment in Bangkok's Nong Chok district sometime in June along with another foreigner believed to be Turkish, according to the building supervisor.

Thanakorn Wiwannakorn, 60, who has been the apartment's supervisor for over a decade, told police the 28-year-old suspect and his friend were quiet and mostly stayed inside their room on the fourth floor.

Other apartment tenants said one of them had a dark complexion, coming and going at regular hours, while the other hardly left the room and apparently got a haircut and shaved his beard a few weeks ago.

A source at the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) said military and police officials questioned the suspect on Saturday night and recorded the whole interrogation. They intend to question him more about renting the apartment room, bomb equipment and fake passports found in the room.

Meanwhile, the Turkish Embassy said the suspect arrested on Saturday was not a Turkish national.

Yesterday, police searched an apartment in Nong Chok after receiving a tip that two suspicious foreigners resided there. The apartment was identified as Ton Koon Mansion on Soi Chuam Samphun 3, near Pool Anant Apartment.

Earlier, police found two bags of urea fertiliser and other bomb-making ingredients at Mai-moo-na Garden, in nearby Min Buri district.

Police found no additional suspects at these locations.

Pol Gen Chakthip Chaijinda said police believe several suspects in the network were involved in the deadly bombing at Erawan Shrine, and that they were also connected with the attack on the pier near Sathorn Bridge the following day. A team consisting of four or five investigators is working on this case and they urged the public to be the eyes and ears of law enforcement.

Meanwhile, police believe the Shrine bomb suspect was prepared to carry out more attacks in other locations, judging from evidence found in his room.

According to Police spokesman Pol Lt-General Prawut Thawornsiri, evidence found inside the suspect's room included detonating chords similar to the detonating chord found at the related blast at the pier near Sathorn Bridge.

The August 17 bombing at the Erawan Shrine at Ratchaprasong intersection, a popular tourist destination, killed 20 people including foreign visitors and injured 171 others. The attack at the pier near Sathorn Bridge the following day resulted in no casualties.

The bombing suspect is being detained for questioning at the Infantry Battalion of the 11th Army Circle under martial law.

Prawut said it was not yet clear if the suspect was responsible for the attack at the Erawan Shrine or the pier near Sathorn Bridge but police believe he was a member of the network responsible for those attacks.

He said police were waiting for the results of a DNA test from a banknote the bomber used to pay his taxi fare and other samples found in the taxi.

Prawut said the suspect denied that he was a collaborator in the bomb attack. He had told police how he came into the country but police did not believe him.

Prawut denied reports that the suspect travelled from Istanbul and came to Thailand via Vietnam and Laos, saying police initially found the suspect stayed in an Asian country before travelling to Thailand.

Prawut said the police obtained pictures of other members of the gang and were checking their identities and nationalities. Immigration officials have been instructed to prevent other suspected gang members from leaving the country.

Police have not ruled out other possible motives for the bomb attack though they believe that it could be a personal vendetta after police crackdowns on foreigners.

Police also found evidence from a signal on the suspect's phone that he travelled to a location that was linked to the bomb attack. Prawut declined to say if that location was Hua Lam Phong train station, where the bomb suspect was seen hailing a tuk-tuk to take him to Erawan Shrine.

Prawut said a taxi driver was summoned for questioning several times because he gave conflicting statements that contradicted evidence. The telephone information also showed that the taxi driver contacted the suspect several times.

After the suspect was arrested on Saturday, the Turkish government sent a letter pledging to give Thailand its full support to fight terrorism.

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/national/More-attacks-may-have-been-planned-police-say-30267792.html


-- The Nation 2015-08-31

[jaywalker]

"He said police were waiting for the results of a DNA test from a banknote the bomber used to pay his taxi fare and other samples found in the taxi."

*GROAN*

So we're back to DNA on a banknote that's been handled by half the population and 8 day old fingerprints inside a taxi that probably picks up several dozen people a day?

[jaidam]

Lucky they caught him before he went woof in his suicide belt (or the belt that was claimed to be his suicide belt...)

[NongKhaiKid]

They will milk this story for all it's worth, evidence, accurac

[MaiChai]

Another report full of disinformation. If the police have nothing to tell why do they blabber on?

[NongKhaiKid]

They will milk this story for all it's worth, evidence, accurac

Sorry post was truncated, am i the only one having problems with access, posting etc. ? Something seems badly wrong with the forum.

...accuracy and truth not withstanding.

Little Jack Horner - ' oh what a good boy am I. '

[ikurauni]

I hope they will catch the rest of these sick people. Good luck.

[jamesbrock]

More attacks may have been planned, police say

Well, that either disproves that the police are desperate to protect the tourist industry, or proves that the police are incompetent fools with no grasp of the impact of what they announce... or both.

[jamesbrock]

The telephone information also showed that the taxi driver contacted the suspect several times.

I wonder of the taxi driver called to demand money in return for his silence?

[englishoak]

Police have not ruled out other possible motives for the bomb attack though they believe that it could be a personal vendetta after police crackdowns on foreigners.

Yes of course thats it.....foreigners just do that kind of crazy thing, happens all the time.

Edited August 30, 2015 by englishoak

[Jessadakorn]

The Thai police are just covering themselves and won't bother as long if they can make financial gain out of it.

Yet they don't get how they look so incompetent if they actually need to act and speak out if something unfortunate happens such as the Ko Tao murders and the Erawan bombing.

Just a bunch of ego trippers who are so corrupt that even them are no longer ashamed of losing face due to their incompetence in public.

Edited August 31, 2015 by Jessadakorn

[yougivemebaby]

Police inspect the duu yen for more suspects.

[ezzra]

And that suppose to put us all at ease? or you just boasting and chest beating????

[GreatEastern]

Police inspect the duu yen for more suspects.

And it was good of them to take their shoes off before entering the room ;-)

[Monkeyrobot]

I'd be rounding up the Taxi driver again , seems he is withholding information.

[Docno]

I love going back in time on some of this stuff. For example, back on Aug 18 we had this:

General Prayut said the suspect was believed to be from an “anti-government group based in Thailand’s north-east” – a reference to the Red Shirt movement that was subjected to a crackdown by the army after General Prayut – then army chief – seized power in May 2014.

[http://www.straitstimes.com/asia/se-asia/bangkok-blast-attack-is-most-significant-assault-on-thailand-says-pm-prayut]

In light of where how this case has developed since then, the above statement gives us real insight into how the man thinks and the biases he has despite claims of impartiality.

[lildragon]

I love going back in time on some of this stuff. For example, back on Aug 18 we had this:

General Prayut said the suspect was believed to be from an “anti-government group based in Thailand’s north-east” – a reference to the Red Shirt movement that was subjected to a crackdown by the army after General Prayut – then army chief – seized power in May 2014.

[http://www.straitstimes.com/asia/se-asia/bangkok-blast-attack-is-most-significant-assault-on-thailand-says-pm-prayut]

In light of where how this case has developed since then, the above statement gives us real insight into how the man thinks and the biases he has despite claims of impartiality.

You also had the usual junta sycophants on here parroting their hero and spitting bile. Seems they have gone sheepishly quiet now. As they should, trying to use this heinous act for point scoring.

[ameadi]

As usual many bla bla.. .

[zaZa9]

So anyone got any idea of a motive ?

[IamNoone88]

Perhaps this guy is spilling the beans and the police don't want that known publicly - which is a smart move.

[Briggsy]

Don't believe a word the police say.

Standard Operating Procedure = Come up with a story which suits the police and government agenda the best and then arrange, fabricate and omit evidence to match the fiction.

[jamesbrock]

So anyone got any idea of a motive ?

As a source quoted in this article in the Straits Times says, "The facts speak for themselves - the scale, venue, the identity of those killed, the ethnic origin of the suspect. You don't have to be a terrorism expert to draw a conclusion."

We know that Thailand is the major conduit for Uighur refugees from China.

We know that there has been numerous instances where these Uighurs have joined, or attempted to join terror groups. <Link>

We know that Thailand that recently sent 109 Uighur men back to China, and that this act drew international condemnation - not only from the UNHCR, which considered it "a flagrant violation of international law” - but also Turkey's Foreign Ministry, which said the deportation violated international humanitarian laws and came despite "numerous initiatives" by Turkey to prevent their repatriation.

We know that these deportations sparked widespread protests in Turkey on July 9, when both the Thai Embassy in Ankara and the consulate in Istanbul had to be temporarily shut after the consulate was ransacked by mostly Uighur protesters. Windows at the consulate were smashed, furnishings damaged and the sign outside pulled down and Thai flags burnt, while protests outside the Chinese embassy have seen Chinese flags burnt and police called in to fire pepper spray at demonstrators.

We know that, since then, Chinese citizens in Turkey are being harassed and attacked.

We know that both Thailand and China have issued a travel warning to its citizens travelling to Turkey.

It was reported (once, on 19 August, but never spoken of again) that RTP had deployed more officers to the Chinese embassy in Bangkok after it made a request two weeks earlier.

The same report also revealed that “Intelligence from the Special Branch also suggested there could be an attack on Chinese tourists after August 11.” This has, curiously, never been raised again.

Now we have in custody a man who is most likely a Turkish Uighur, who was found with bomb making equipment and dozens of fake Turkish passports - and five rented apartments, four of them empty.

If we are to believe the RTP, it’s almost certain that he was part of the cell that orchestrated the bombing, and highly possible that he could be part of the cell trafficking, as suggested, Uighurs from China to places unknown - but they either have no idea why the cell would plant a bomb in central Bangkok, or they're in denial trying to salvage the tourist industry (while at the same time announcing that more attacks may have been planned)...

Edit: Added link to article

Edited August 31, 2015 by jamesbrock

[Si Thea01]

They will milk this story for all it's worth, evidence, accurac

Sorry post was truncated, am i the only one having problems with access, posting etc. ? Something seems badly wrong with the forum.

...accuracy and truth not withstanding.

Little Jack Horner - ' oh what a good boy am I. '

They should just shut up until they have something concrete. Getting tired of the foot in mouth disease they appear to suffer from.

No, you're not the only one having problem. Very slow in loading and on a number of occasions type and nothing appears. There appears to be something not quite right.

[Fat Haggis]

Well considering all the stuff found in that apartment, then it would be pretty obvious there was other attacks planned.

The questions should be, where and when and by whom ? this guy stuck around for a reason, maybe there's too much focus on this guy for a reason?

They sure seem to have gone to a lot of bother for "acts of revenge" .

[Halion]

Two bags of Fertilizer so what about all your comments that the bomb was TNT. There is a hell of a difference.

[taony]

So all of there searches since the arrest have come up with nothing, and the suspect is not cooperating.... but they are sure more attacks may have been planned. Can I sue for panic?

[wandasloan]

So anyone got any idea of a motive ?

Yes, good question. Why would a gang of Uighurs blow things up in Thailand? Gee, I wonder why?

[Assurancetourix]

"He said police were waiting for the results of a DNA test from a banknote the bomber used to pay his taxi fare and other samples found in the taxi."

*GROAN*

So we're back to DNA on a banknote that's been handled by half the population and 8 day old fingerprints inside a taxi that probably picks up several dozen people a day?

Have a look at the photo;

forensic police working without gloves ..

[yougivemebaby]

Perhaps this guy is spilling the beans and the police don't want that known publicly - which is a smart move.

And stop using the Ooooh OOoooh hey look what I found tactic ? [emoji87][emoji13]

[sammygood]

did he use the correct TM7 or whatever to report foreigners?