Defence minister says police have suspects for bombing that killed 22, after army chief says attack did not bear hallmarks of southern separatists
Thailand is close to determining who detonated a bomb at a popular shrine in Bangkok that killed 22 people and injured 123, the country’s defence minister has said.
“It is much clearer who the bombers are, but I can’t reveal right now,” Prawit Wongsuwan said on Tuesday. “We have suspects. There are not many people.”
Thai authorities said they were hunting a “suspect” who had been caught on security cameras near the scene of the blast. However, Thailand’s ministry of foreign affairs said: “For the time being, it is too early to determine the possible motives or who the perpetrators may be.”
Prime minister Prayuth Chan-ocha was quoted by news agencies as saying the suspect was believed to be from an “anti-government group based in Thailand’s northeast”. The area is a stronghold of support for the so-called redshirt movement, which backs former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who was ousted by the military in 2006. But Thai media later said the quote was not referring to the suspect.
Read more:
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/aug/18/bangkok-bomb-not-in-keeping-with-insurgent-attacks-says-army-chief
